


nearly witches (ever since we met)

by komorebinnie



Series: skz hogwarts au [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Feelings Realization, Fist Fight, Fluff, Gryffindor! Felix, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Repressed Anger, Swearing, but he gets better I promise, changbin has shitty parents, changbin is annoying in the beginning, many cameos but i tagged the most important ones, minbin are besties, slytherin! changbin, they are whipped bois, this is endgame changlix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23707237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komorebinnie/pseuds/komorebinnie
Summary: Changbin forcefully grabbed Felix’s collar, dragging him forward until their faces were just a few inches away from each other.“Shut up.”“Make me.”Changbin hates Lee Felix. Or does he?
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Series: skz hogwarts au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707370
Comments: 24
Kudos: 171





	1. if i could go back to the day we met i probably would just stay in bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a prequel to the previous work in this [series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707370) but both fics can be read on their own (though i wouldn't mind if you read both of them hehe) 
> 
> 08/2020 edit: due to the recent events involving w**jin, i decided to replace his character for yugyeom, so if some scenes sound a bit awkward that's the reason.
> 
> [title inspiration](https://open.spotify.com/track/2KA3lvDwQQiyvuJJvzifGL?si=SqE1ukcbS3KDG5-i2oqwIA%E2%80%9D%20r)   
>  [chapter title inspiration](https://open.spotify.com/track/3Q3myFA7q4Op95DOpHplaY?si=KNoxA0yBQCKFMdEpfVjQOg)

Changbin got off the train at Hogsmeade station and took in a deep breath. He was finally back. Stretching his arms with a grin on his face, Changbin scanned the area to see if he could spot any of his friends.

He had arrived late on platform 9 ¾ in King’s Cross Station, courtesy of his parents forgetting that they had to take him there today, which meant that Changbin had to take a taxi cab (as he could not use his broom or any type of magical transportation by himself). It takes no genius to know why he was late, after all, London in the middle of the day is the same thing as terrible traffic congestion. Thankfully he had managed to arrive just in time to get inside of the train when the clock was about to hit 11 am. Since he was late he wasn’t able to find any of his friends so he just settled with seating by himself on one of the compartments.

Even though the events that had occurred earlier weren't that much of a promising start, Changbin's mood could not be affected. After two torturous months of vacation, he was finally back at Hogwarts. To say that his first year at the school had been one of the best experiences of his life would be an understatement. It had always been Changbin’s dream to go to Hogwarts and now that he was here again ready to begin his second year he could barely contain his excitement.

Since it was already nighttime it was hard to distinguish faces from the crowd of robes that were getting out of the train. Changbin was standing on the tip of his foot looking around when suddenly he felt a pair of hands covering his eyes and a familiar voice singsonging a “Guess who it is”. Changbin turned around with a huge grin on his face and tackled his friend with a hug.

“Woah slow down there Binnie, you’ve gotten bigger.” Minho giggled a bit out of breath due to the impact of the younger’s weight while hugging him back.

“Missed you too hyung.” Changbin said while stepping back and finally taking a good look at his friend. Minho’s dark brown hair had grown a bit during those two months and a small mullet was starting to make itself present. It also seemed that the older had gotten a few centimeters taller which made Changbin internally scowl. Minho already teased the hell out of him because of his height when he wasn’t even that tall but now he was sure the other Slytherin would become even more insufferable.

Minho was one year older than Changbin but he had been one of the first people to welcome him to Hogwarts. They obviously didn’t share any classes but Minho would always hang out with him during meal times and in the Slytherin common room. Minho was the first friend he had ever made outside of his parent’s social circle and he was eternally grateful for the older even though he would never say that out loud, Minho was already cocky enough.

“Come on Binnie, we don’t want to lose the carriages! Last year you went by boat, right?”

Changbin nodded, he had never ridden in the carriages before. Tradition was that first years had to cross the Black Lake by boat, probably because of the mysterious and dramatic effect it created. Changbin still remembered how amazed he had been to see the Hogwarts lights from the dimly lit boats on the vast lake. It was a truly impressive sight. However, from the second year till the seventh they had to take the carriages to reach the castle.

“Well let’s go then. We can catch up on the way to the castle, the trip is a bit long.” Minho said while grabbing Changbin’s hand and dragging him to where the carriages were. Fortunately, they didn’t have to take their bags with them since they were magically transported all the way to their rooms so that their journey to the castle would be fast and hassle-free.

“Binnie, did you know that the carriages aren’t powered by magic?” Minho inquired the younger with an excited tone.

“They aren’t? But nothing is pulling them!” Changbin answered with a hint of incredulity. From having spent one year with Minho, Changbin had already caught on the habit that the older boy had of playing pranks on people so he learned to always doubt the things the Slytherin said.

“That’s where you are wrong my friend. The carriages are actually pulled by Thestrals.”

“Thes- what?” Changbin had never heard of such a thing.

“Thestrals are winged horses that are only visible to those who have witnessed death at least once.” Minho explained with a serious expression.

“Oh, I didn’t know that. It’s kinda creepy hyung.”

“Nah, they’re actually the sweetest things.” Minho replied, back to his usual self. “But let’s hurry, I think we can get a place on that carriage right there.”

Changbin and Minho broke into a quick sprint and managed to snatch a place on the carriage that was just about to leave. Changbin let out a tired sigh, he was doing that a lot today.

“Yugyeom hyung!” Minho greeted a Hufflepuff boy that was seating at the end of the carriage with a hug. “Fancy seeing you here. Did you miss me a lot?”

The older boy chuckled rolling his eyes.

“Of course Minho, it’s impossible not to miss you. Will we continue our Herbology tutoring this year?”

“How can you even ask me that? You won’t get rid of me easily hyung.” Minho answered in mock hurt. Changbin started laughing at his friend’s theatrics.

“Ah hyung I don’t think you have met Binnie yet.” Minho exclaimed as if only now remembering the younger’s presence. “Changbin, this is Yugyeom hyung, he’s one year older than me and he’s a master at Herbology.”

“Nice to meet you Changbin.” Yugyeom said extending his hand which Changbin grabbed and shook.

“Nice to meet you too Yugyeom-ssi.”

“Ah you can call me hyung, Yugyeom-ssi is way too formal.” The older boy said with a light laugh.

“Ok Yugyeom hyung.” Changbin replied with a grin. The older boy held such a comforting aura that Changbin felt as if he had known him his entire life.

During the ride to the castle Minho, Changbin and Yugyeom talked about what they had been up to in their vacation time. Minho and Changbin had written letters to each other during those two months since Changbin wasn’t allowed to have a smartphone because of his parents' conservative views on technology. Still, it’s almost impossible to cover everything that had happened those two months within just some pages so they used their time on the carriage to catch up on matters they had forgotten to write about and Changbin also had the chance to get to know Yugyeom better.

When they arrived at the castle a girl and a boy that Changbin recognized as being the Hufflepuff’s Prefects approached Yugyeom.

“Hey guys, I need to help Wendy-ssi and Hoseok-ssi with some preparations for the ceremony but let’s catch up later, yeah? It was really nice to meet you Changbin.” Yugyeom said with a bright smile while waving at them and following both Prefects closely behind.

“Bye Yugyeom hyung!” Minho and Changbin said waving back at the older boy.

After Yugyeom disappeared through the mass of students Changbin turned his body to face Minho.

“Hyung, Yugyeom hyung is a fourth year right?”

“Yeah he is, why?”

“So why is he helping the Prefects with the preparations?”

“Ahh, it’s because this is Wendy’s and Hoseok’s last year here in Hogwarts so next year they’ll have to choose two new Prefects for Hufflepuff. Since next year Yugyeom will be on his fifth year, he’ll be eligible to become the new Hufflepuff Prefect. The Head boy or girl is the one who actually decides which students will become the new Prefects, however, the previous Prefects normally suggest the students who they think should continue the job, and apparently Yugyeom is the one who was chosen by Wendy and Hoseok, so they are already preparing him for the duties he’ll have to do. The same goes for all houses.”

“Oh shit I had no idea, so basically Yugyeom hyung will be wandering around the halls abducting points from students next year?”

Minho snorted. “Yes, I guess you could put it that way.”

“That’s awesome. Yugyeom hyung is so cool.”

“Yeah he really is… Aish Binnie, I’m starved. Thank Merlin we have the welcoming feast.” Minho said while patting his belly.

“Then what are you waiting for hyung? I’ll race you to the hall.” Changbin said already sprinting down the corridor.

“Seo Changbin!” Minho screamed while chasing after the other boy.

Changbin started laughing loudly at his Hyung’s indignation. Minho eventually caught up to him and locked his arms on the younger’s neck playfully choking him until they heard a stern voice saying a “Knock it off kids”. Minho and Changbin immediately scrambled away from each other looking guiltily at Park Jinyoung, one of their House Prefects. Jinyoung just glared at them and continued walking down the corridor. Both Minho and Changbin let out relieved sighs. Jinyoung sure knew how to be intimidating.

“The first day back at the school and you’re already getting us in trouble Seo Changbin.”

“You’re literally the one who was almost choking me to death hyung.”

Minho let out an outraged “Yah!” and proceeded to grab Changbin’s arm, leading him down the corridor while nagging at him. Changbin had missed this so much.

・・✦・・

As Changbin stepped inside the Great Hall, he suddenly halted by the entrance stunned by the smell of food and by the loud sound of conversation. Minho looked back at him with questioning eyes. Changbin shook his head to get out of his stupor and continued following the older.

It was like entering a dream. Changbin loved the atmosphere of the Great Hall more than anything else. The ceiling that mimicked the sky accompanied by the floating candles was absolutely stunning and the ghosts that flew around making conversation with the students never failed to amaze him. Changbin was sure he would never get tired of this.

Changbin followed Minho to the right side of the room where the Slytherin table was. Minho and Changbin greeted their housemates as they sat down. Minho immediately dived into the food in front of him since he had stated earlier that he was starved. Changbin got himself a piece of the pumpkin pie he had missed so much.

(Last year Changbin would always try to sneak out to the kitchen’s during the afternoon to try to get some leftovers of the pumpkin pie they had had at lunch. During one of these escapades, he bumped into a Hufflepuff student who apparently was there with the same intent as him. The boy who now Changbin knew was named Wooyoung admitted his adoration for the pumpkin pie and they immediately became friends. Changbin and Wooyoung had managed to make acquaintance with some of the house elves, meaning that they always had easy access to extra food and since Wooyoung’s common room was literally on the kitchen’s corridor, the other boy would always bring Changbin snacks when they shared classes since during their first encounter they realized that they were in the same year.)

It was Changbin’s first time watching the Sorting ceremony since last year he had been a part of it. He could still remember clearly the relief that bloomed in his chest when the Sorting hat had shouted a clear “Slytherin” after barely being placed on Changbin’s head. He had no idea what would have happened to him if he hadn’t been sorted into Slytherin. His parents would have definitely disinherited him but he tried not to think about that too much.

So yeah, Changbin was really excited to see which first years would be placed in Slytherin. It was always nice meeting new people and he wanted to make sure that his new housemates would be welcomed properly in Hogwarts just like he had been. His mood was so good today that not even the loud obnoxious noises coming from the Gryffindor table were disturbing him. The fact that their table was placed at the opposite corner of the room probably also helped.

“Oh, is Baby Changbin excited?” Minho asked him teasingly with a smirk, probably noticing Changbin’s bouncy energy.

Changbin rolled his eyes.

“Hyung you’re literally only one year older than me and this is only your second time seeing this.”

Minho scoffed. “Your point? Brat.”

As Changbin was about to reply the door of the Great Hall opened and a line of students with awestruck expressions on their faces entered. All other students who were already seated on their respective tables stopped their conversations to look at the first years who had just arrived.

The Headmaster McGonagall stood up to greet the students and announce the start of the ceremony. Professor Longbottom then entered the Great Hall carrying the Sorting Hat. He placed it on a table that was near a small wooden chair where the first years were supposed to sit.

While the Sorting Hat chanted his yearly song, Changbin watched the new students with interest. The first boy in line had a very young face, his brown hair and glasses made him look like a nerdy puppy. His whole demeanor just screamed Ravenclaw. The second one in line had big chubby cheeks that made him look like a cute squirrel though his eyes seemed to have a permanent mischievous glint. A potential Slytherin.

Changbin continued to scan the faces in the queue. They all seemed very young, some didn’t even look like they were old enough to be a first year. In the middle of the queue, there was a tall boy who stood out from the others not only because of his height but also because of his face. He was indeed very handsome and Changbin could already hear some girls in the Slytherin table gushing about said boy. Changbin rolled his eyes, that boy would most definitely be placed in Gryffindor, that whole prince aura just gave him away.

Finally, at the very end of the line stood a small boy with platinum blonde hair who was nervously fiddling with his robes. Changbin found himself being drawn to the boy, there was something about him that Changbin couldn’t exactly pinpoint but was very charming. _That hair… could it be?_

Changbin turned to whisper to Minho.

“The last one in the line, is he a Malfoy?” Minho looked to where Changbin was pointing and let out a small laugh.

“No Binnie, that hair is definitely bleached.”

Changbin hit his friend’s arm while he tried to hide his embarrassment. He wasn’t very good at these kinds of things. When he looked back at the line the first student was already being called by Professor Longbottom.

“Kim Seungmin”

The puppy faced boy made his way confidently to the seat. Professor Longbottom placed the hat on the boy’s head.

“Ah, Kim Seungmin! Hmmm very interesting… Your heart tells me that you are very brave but your mind is full of desire to learn and discover new things. Oh, I see… Well, then that’s what it’ll be, RAVENCLAW!”

The boy’s face broke on a huge grin and the Ravenclaw table cheered loudly while welcoming him.

“Han Jisung”

The Sorting Hat had barely been placed on the squirrel boy’s head when it announced a loud and booming “SLYTHERIN”.

Changbin and Minho stood up clapping and shouting welcoming phrases to their new housemate. After they calmed down the other name was announced.

“Hwang Hyunjin”

So that was the pretty boy’s name. He timidly made his way to the chair followed by whispers and giggles of admirers.

“Ah, another Hwang… Hmmmm fascinating… Could it be? No definitely not, well… Yes, I think that’s the right call, SLYTHERIN!”

_Oh, that was unexpected._ Their new housemate made his way to the table with a small smile while the whole Slytherin table burst in commemoration once again.

Some more names were called. A Lee Donghyuck and a Na Jaemin were welcomed into their table with loud cheers as well.

Finally the last name was being called.

“Lee Felix”

The blonde quickly made his way to the front of the hall, seating on the chair while eagerly waiting for the hat to announce his destiny. Some small part inside of Changbin was hoping he would be placed in Slytherin.

“Hmmmm difficult. Indeed, very difficult. Your heart sure is very kind but there’s so much more than that… Oh yes, I see it now, GRYFFINDOR!”

Changbin’s face fell at the hat’s decision. Why did he have to have been placed in that damn house? Changbin rolled his eyes. He was most definitely a prick then.

Headmaster McGonagall finished the ceremony by giving out the warnings that all students except for the first years already knew and by wishing them all a pleasant start of the school year. All students then were dismissed to go to their common rooms.

Park Jinyoung and Kang Seulgi motioned for the whole table to follow them to the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was located. Changbin and Minho quickly made their way to where their new housemates were sitting since they wanted to greet them and try to get to know the other boys better.

“Hey, Hyunjin and Jisung right?” Minho directed the question at the two younger boys who were sitting closely together.

Both boys nodded their heads with wide eyes as if surprised that anyone would bother to talk to them.

“I’m Minho and this is Changbin. I’m a third year and he’s a second year.” Minho said while pointing to the other Slytherin who nodded his head, greeting the boys. “So, are you guys happy about being placed in Slytherin?” Minho asked with an easy-going smile. Changbin would never stop being impressed at how smoothly Minho started conversation with people he had never talked to. A true social butterfly.

The squirrel boy who Changbin now knew was named Jisung excitedly nodded his head.

“I’m so pumped, I would have been really disappointed if I had been placed anywhere else.”

Minho and Changbin giggled at the energetic boy, he surely was a character.

“Uhh, I’m also glad I’m a Slytherin because then me and Sungie can be in the same house.” The prince boy answered a bit shyly but excited nonetheless.

“Oh so the two of you already know each other?” Minho asked with a surprised expression.

“Yeah, our parents are friends so we’ve known each other since forever basically.” Hyunjin answered chuckling. He was a bit timid and that was very amusing to Changbin, he thought the other boy would also be a social butterfly. Guess his preconceptions about the boy were completely wrong.

“Well boys, if you ever need any help you can always ask us. We’re not the Prefects or anything but I know that Jinyoung and Seulgi can be a bit intimidating so please feel comfortable to come to us.” Changbin said with a bright smile.

The two first years nodded their heads and thanked Changbin’s offer. Minho then proceeded to tell them all about the teachers and subjects that they were going to have, just like he had done with Changbin the previous year, telling the boys which teachers were strict and which weren’t and also some tips on how to survive in Hogwarts. Very useful stuff. They continued chatting until they reached the dungeons and Seulgi started explaining the rules of the Common room.

“The password for this year is _“Serpens Ignis”_. Don’t forget it, don’t write it anywhere and don’t tell anyone who isn’t a Slytherin student, understood?”

All students eagerly nodded their heads. Satisfied with the response, Jinyoung then uttered _“Serpens Ignis”_ to the stone door that opened revealing the inside of the Common room. Changbin took in the atmosphere of the room. Nothing had changed. The same greenish lamps and the black and green leather sofas that filled Changbin with a very comforting feeling were still there.

Jinyoung quickly motioned for the first years to follow him so that he could show them their dormitory so Hyunjin and Jisung waved goodbye to Changbin and Minho. Changbin then turned to his friend and gave him a goodnight hug claiming he was tired and was planning to go straight to bed. Minho nodded his head and made his way to his own room while Changbin climbed the stairs that led to his dormitory. He was completely drained after all that had happened today but the warm feeling of being back never left his chest. His suitcases were already on his bed when he arrived in his room. He greeted his roommates who were there and immediately laid down on his bed. He closed his eyes thinking about what had happened today and drifted off to sleep with a small smile on his face.

・・✦・・

The year had barely started but Changbin was already overwhelmed with the amount of work that he had to do. It wasn’t that Changbin was a bad student, just because he wasn’t placed in Ravenclaw didn’t mean that he didn’t like to study. Transfiguration, however, was an exception.

Last year Changbin realized that Transfiguration was definitely not his forte when during one of his _'Avifors Spell'_ lessons instead of transforming a small teacup into a bird, he transformed it into an egg. His Professor had not been impressed. So for Changbin’s luck, this year's the first spell that they had to learn was how to turn a beetle into a button and Changbin absolutely hated insects.

Transfiguration and insects, two of the things that he hated the most together. Yay. He was definitely going to fail. At this point, if he even managed to score an A on his O.W.L.S he would already be the happiest wizard on earth.

So yeah, his problems with Transfiguration were stressing him out and as if all of that wasn’t already overwhelming enough, today was the tryouts for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Oh Merlin, Changbin was a literal pile of nerves. He had always wanted to play as the keeper and he did not want to mess up this opportunity to be part of the team.

At least today the day had been relatively calm. Minho hadn’t teased him at breakfast because he knew how much these tryouts meant to Changbin since it was something he constantly talked about to the older during his first year. Minho was one of the chasers of the Slytherin team and Changbin always went to the games to cheer on him and the team as a whole.

Hyunjin and Jisung wished him good luck, saying that he was definitely going to make it into the team. This past month Changbin had been slowly but surely getting closer to the first years who were two crazy crackheads and also extremely fun to be around. Changbin was really glad for their bright personalities, especially in a day like this.

Yugyeom had also wished Changbin good luck during breakfast when he passed by the Hufflepuff table, giving him a big hug. Changbin had been a bit embarrassed but he would never be able to deny his hyung anything.

Changbin was still pretty stressed but at least his friend's kind words had managed to calm his nerves a bit.

The tryouts were going to happen in the Quidditch pitch just before lunch, which was after his Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. His professor had been kind enough to let him take his broomstick to the class so that he wouldn’t have to go all the way back to his common room just to get it.

As Changbin made his way to the Quidditch field, already with his broom and Quidditch uniform on, he suddenly heard a loud commotion and saw two Slytherin boys dashing past him in an enormous speed. Changbin turned his head and recognized that those two boys had actually been Hyunjin and Jisung. _What the hell._

As he was about to call out their names Changbin suddenly felt all air leave his body when something, or rather, someone came crashing into him, making him fall back on his butt.

Changbin looked up and was surprised to see a boy with platinum blonde hair also on the floor. Changbin narrowed his eyes. _That damn Gryffindor._ Changbin started glaring at the boy in front of him with murderous intent.

Suddenly said boy got up and started muttering numerous apologies.

“Oh Merlin, I’m so so sorry. Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Here let me help you stand up-”

“What the hell.” Changbin slapped the boy’s hand away from him while continuing to glare at him. Changbin was fuming. “I don’t need your fucking help stupid Gryffindor.” Changbin replied harshly as he grabbed his broom that had also fallen on the floor and stood up.

The boy took a step back, surprised at the Slytherin’s outburst. “I’m really really sorry-”

“Get out of my way.” Changbin almost spitted while bumping his shoulder on the other boy who was sent crashing against the wall. Changbin didn’t miss the pained groan the other boy let out but he couldn’t care less. He was so mad.

Changbin started sprinting down the corridor now more tense than he had been before. He was almost popping a vein. He couldn’t catch a bloody break. Of course that on the day that he was the most stressed something like that had to happen. Oh Merlin he couldn’t fucking stand Gryffindors and their superiority complex. Fucking coming crashing on other people in the middle of the corridor. What a fucking bastard.

Changbin almost didn't realize that he had already reached the quidditch pitch since his mind was everywhere, his anger was making it impossible for him to focus.

“Hey Binnie, are you ok?”

Changbin let out a startled yelp. He didn’t even see Minho approach him.

“Ah yes hyung, just nervous.” Changbin replied while trying to calm down.

“No need to worry Binnie, I know that you’re going make it.”

Changbin gave Minho a grateful smile. They chatted for some minutes until the team’s captain called the older's name who said goodbye to Changbin and went to stand next to the rest of the Slytherin team so that they could finally start the tryouts.

“Good Morning fellow housemates! I think I know most of you but just as a formality: Hi, I’m Tzuyu, the Slytherin team captain and one of the beaters of the team.”

All students greeted her back.

“This year we have the keeper and one beater spot to fill since our previous players graduated last year. This is how we're going to do this: For the beaters, some of our teammates will be throwing bludgers at you to see if you’re able to take the weight and the power of the impacts, we will also analyze how well you can defend your other teammates. For the ones who will tryout for the keeper spot, we’ll just see who can defend the most goals from the quaffles and the one who succeeds will be chosen as the new keeper. Any questions? No? Ok, then beaters please follow me and keepers you can all go with Joy.” Tzuyu finished her explanation already heading to the other side of the field while being followed by students who were going to try out for the beater spot.

A pretty girl with long black hair raised her hand and motioned for the keeper contestants to follow her. Changbin knew Joy was one of the chasers alongside Minho so it made sense that they were going to test the keepers. Joy and Minho stopped right in front of the three goalposts and turned around to look at the candidates. There were five keepers, Changbin included.

“Good morning candidates! As Tzuyu already said my name is Joy and this is Minho. We are both the chasers of the team and we will be the ones throwing the quaffles at you. We’ll have multiple rounds and each round you get one shot. During a round, if only one person was not able to catch the quaffle this person is out, if two people in the same round aren’t able to catch the quaffle then they’ll have to go again to decide who’ll continue to the next round. The person who manages to catch most quaffles will become the new Slytherin keeper. Did you all understand?”

The five students nodded their heads.

“Ok then let’s start by Ash. Minho will be throwing for you.”

A girl that was standing on Changbin’s left stepped forward and hopped on her broom. She and Minho flew to their respective positions. Changbin’s heart was beating extremely fast as he watched his friend prepare himself for his move. In one swift motion, Minho threw the quaffle in the direction of the tallest goal post. Moving in a surprisingly fast speed the girl was able to catch the quaffle.

“Congratulations Ash, you can stand on the side and wait for the next round. The next one is Changbin.”

Changbin nodded his head trying to calm his nerves.

“I’ll be the one throwing for you, me and Minho will be taking turns.” Joy said while hopping on her broom.

Changbin also got on his broom and flew to where the three goalposts were. He looked down and saw Minho giving him two discreet thumbs up. Changbin chuckled lightly, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He could do this. Changbin watched as Joy raised her arm and in a second he was in front of the middle hoop defending the quaffle she had thrown. A sense of euphoria took over his body, he slowly descended going to stand next to the girl who had also passed.

The other rounds went by in a blur. Changbin and the girl named Ash were able to catch all the quaffles but the three other boys didn’t get so lucky and were all eliminated.

“Ok this is the final round.”

All of Changbin’s nerves suddenly resurfaced. The first ball thrown was easily caught by the girl but thankfully Changbin also was able to catch the quaffle on his turn.

“Since the two of you succeeded, now we’ll just continue throwing the quaffles until one of you isn’t able to catch it, ok?” Joy said and the two students left nodded their heads.

Ash went in again. Changbin’s heart was almost beating out of his chest. Minho prepared himself to throw the quaffle. He made a very tricky move that the girl only realized a second too late as the ball went in on the highest goal post. Changbin celebrated internally but then remembered that now was his turn. Shit. He got on his broom once again nervously making his way to the goalposts. Joy slowly positioned herself in front of Changbin.

Changbin was aware of Joy’s every movement, he couldn't fuck this up. If he got this right, he would become Slytherin’s new keeper. As Joy was about to throw the quaffle, her body seemed like she was going to aim at the highest goal post but Changbin saw in her eyes her true intentions. It was risky but Changbin was going to take the shot. As soon as the ball left the chaser's hand, Changbin immediately dived down and thankfully the ball went on that direction as well and he managed to defend it before it entered the hoop.

Changbin heard some loud screams coming from somewhere below him. His ears were ringing. He was the new Slytherin keeper. He guided his broom to the floor and as his feet touched the ground he was tackled by Minho with a hug.

“I knew you would make it Binnie! How did you even know where she was aiming?! I feel like such a proud mom!” Minho screamed on Changbin’s ear while hugging and spinning him around.

“Aish Hyung if you don’t stop screaming in my ear I’ll become deaf.” Changbin complained teasingly.

“I don’t care. You’re my new teammate and I won’t stop bothering you with my love anytime soon.”

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur. Changbin received a lot of congratulatory words from his new teammates and impressed praises for his skills. He was so happy that even the incident that had occurred that morning slipped his mind. That is until he saw the faces of his two Slytherin friends again.

“Congrats Changbin Hyung!”

“Thanks guys” Changbin replied a bit forcefully as he remembered the question he had been meaning to ask them the whole morning. “Why were the two of you running like maniacs on the corridor of the first floor today?”

Hyunjin and Jisung looked at each other and then back at Changbin and started laughing loudly. Changbin just continued to stare at them unimpressed with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“Oh Merlin, we didn’t even see you hyung, sorry. It’s because we have Defense Against the Dark Arts right after our Charms class and we share both classes with Gryffindor students.”

“Ok and…”

“And we were running to see who could get to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom first because we made a bet with Felix that whoever arrived in the room last would have to do the written part of our assignment on vampires.”

“Felix?”

“Yeah, he’s a Gryffindor from our year. Professor Do randomly chose trios for this assignment and me, Sungie and Felix fell on the same group. He’s really nice but he lost the bet, so that sucks to him. Though he was awfully quiet when he caught up to us, I have no idea why. Maybe he’s just a sore loser.” Hyunjin said with a snicker.

So now the incident that morning had made sense. Changbin felt a bit guilty for having reacted the way he did but also he had been standing in the middle of the corridor, there’s no way the boy didn’t see him. In the end, he decided to not think about it too much, he would probably never have to interact with that boy again.

・・✦・・

Oh but how fate liked to play tricks on Changbin.

It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon and Changbin and Minho were studying at the library for their upcoming tests when suddenly Minho grabbed Changbin’s arm. Changbin looked up and saw a look of distress on his friend’s face.

Changbin cocked his head to the side. “What’s the matter hyung?”

“Binnie, I know about your absolute hatred for Gryffindors but could you please try to keep it down because Chan so happens to be coming in the direction of our table right now.” Minho whispered frantically to Changbin who had his back to the entrance but turned his head as soon as he heard those words. And true to Minho’s word, Bang Chan, Gryffindor’s quidditch team captain, was making his way to their table. As Changbin inspected the scene in front of him more carefully his jaw dropped. He couldn’t fucking believe it. Trailing behind the Gryffindor captain was Felix. Just what Changbin needed.

“Why the hell is Bang Chan coming in the direction of our table?”

“Hmmm so…” Minho laughed nervously. This was extremely unlike him. What the fuck was happening. “I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you were going to react like this but me and Chan had the opportunity to meet outside of school during our vacations and some stuff happened.”

Changbin raised his eyebrows, not believing the words that were coming out of his friend’s mouth.

“Basically I’ve kind of been fooling around with him, it’s nothing serious though, we’ll probably just end up as friends because he’s such a nice person but what matters is that right now we're kind of a thing so please don’t make a scene.” Minho finished his confession looking at Changbin pleadingly.

Changbin’s brain just stopped working altogether upon receiving this new information. He only barely managed to send his friend a betrayed look when suddenly Minho looked up and smiled at someone behind him.

“Hi Channie.”

Changbin turned around with a peeved expression to look at the two Gryffindors who were standing in front of their table. His eyes momentarily locked with the blonde boy ones so he hastily diverted his gaze to the floor.

“Hey Min, how are you? Me and Felix here were just leaving the library to go back to our common room but I saw that you were here and decided to come and say hi.” Chan said with a bright smile on his face. How can someone be so fucking happy on a Wednesday afternoon?

“Ah I’m so glad you did Channie, I missed you.” Minho said while reaching out to wrap one of his arms around Chan’s waist.

Chan giggled nervously at the other boy. Changbin just rolled his eyes at his friend’s shamelessness. “Ah and who do we have here! Changbin right? Congratulations on becoming Slytherin’s new keeper! I heard you’re really good, guess I’ll have to keep an eye out for you!”

Changbin only let out a grunt as an answer, giving the older boy an unimpressed look until he felt a pain shooting up from his shin which almost made him let out a yelp. He stared at Minho who was giving him a look that meant 'Behave or I’ll cut your throat bitch'. Changbin let out a resigned sigh.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“So you’re the famous Felix Chan talks so much about! It’s great to finally meet you!” Minho said trying to clear the awkward atmosphere that had settled.

Felix looked up with a surprised expression. “Yes, I’m Felix, though I didn’t know Chan hyung talked so much about me.” Felix answered shyly while fiddling with his hands.

“Well it is really nice to meet you, right Binnie?” Minho asked while staring pointedly at Changbin. The question took him completely by surprise.

“Ah, but I already met Changbin hyung, right hyung?” Felix asked while turning to look straight at Changbin with an angelic expression though Changbin knew he was anything but that.

Changbin froze. _What the fuck was this prick up to._

“Oh Felix, you didn’t tell me that you already knew Changbin!” Chan exclaimed with a delighted expression. Seriously, how was this boy so energetic all the damn time? Can someone give him sedative or something already.

“It must have slipped my mind. But yeah, hyung is really nice, I really enjoyed talking to him.” Felix said while placing his hands on Changbin’s shoulders. Each word sounding like venom.

“Ahhh yes, we definitely need to catch up Felix.” Changbin answered shakily while playing along with whatever bullshit the other boy had come up with.

“That just makes things easier then. The four of us can hang out one of these days after the exams are over. How about that?” Chan asked enthusiastically.

“I would love that Channie.” Minho purred holding the other boy even closer.

“Yeah that would be nice Chan hyung. Changbin, could you come here for a second? It’s about that assignment I was talking to you about.” Felix said motioning for Changbin to follow him.

“Ah, of course. I’ll be right back Minho hyung.”

Felix led Changbin behind one of the bookshelves of the library to make sure that their hyungs wouldn’t be able to see or hear them.

“What the fuck was that little show that you just pulled?” Changbin asked the other boy harshly.

Felix rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Listen, I don’t like you and you clearly don’t like me either but I’m not about to create some drama and possibly damage my friend’s new relationship or whatever it is that those two have just because you don’t know how to act like a decent human being.” Felix said while pointing his finger to Changbin’s chest.

“Who the fuck do you think you are to say this to me-”

“Merlin’s beard just fucking listen for a second.” Changbin closed his mouth but still continued to glare at the other boy. “For the sake of our friends' relationship let’s be civil to each other, at least in front of them. You can go back to hating me when they’re not around, I honestly don’t care.”

Even though Changbin hated to admit it, the boy in front of him was right. Minho seemed to be really happy with Chan and Changbin wasn’t going to be selfish and start drama with the Gryffindor boy just because of his personal distaste for people that belonged to that house.

Changbin sighed resignedly.

“Ok, I can agree with you on that. Let’s be civil in front of them. But I’m only agreeing to this because I care about Minho a lot, ok?”

“Don’t care but ok, it’s a deal.” Felix replied.

Changbin was about to snap back at the other boy when he saw someone approaching the bookshelf that they were standing next to.

“Lix, are you ready to go?”

Felix demeanor did a full 180 when Chan appeared.

“Yes Channie hyung. Thanks for the help on my assignment Changbin hyung!”

“Ah it's not a problem at all, you can always come to me when you have trouble ok?” Changbin smiled cheerily playing along with the younger.

“Ah thank you so much! See you later hyung!” Felix said with the brightest smile while waving at him. That little devil.

“Bye Changbin. It was nice to meet you.” Changbin bowed his head and continued waving at the two Gryffindor boys until they disappeared through the library door.

Changbin’s face dropped. He couldn’t believe that he was going to have to act civil around that pest. But it was for Minho hyung. God, he was so mad at Minho for keeping this very important detail of his vacation from him but there was nothing he could do now. Now he could only endure the pain of coexisting peacefully with Felix. That Gryffindor was going to be the death of him.


	2. it’s a thin line between love and hate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just some warnings before you read this chapter:
> 
> 1\. there will be a physical fighting scene! it’s nothing too graphic, but if you want to skip it, it starts at “changbin’s breath hitched again” and ends at “after that everything went black”.
> 
> 2\. important vocab: horklump is a magical beast which resembles a fleshy pink mushroom covered in sparse, coarse black bristles.  
>    
> ok, now onto the chapter! 
> 
> [chapter title inspiration](https://open.spotify.com/track/6kls8cSlUyHW2BUOkDJIZE?si=gP6h2bDQTSC9zpEk7yszMw)

Changbin wanted to curse Lee Felix.

Not as in the dark magic type of curse, of course. Changbin wouldn’t go that far even though he hated that twat with every ounce of his being.

At this moment in his life he just wanted to put to use all of his profanity vocabulary against the other boy. 'Why?' you ask, well the answer to that being the fact that Changbin was now sprawled on the floor while Felix stood in front of him with his wand pointed in his direction while carrying a self-satisfied smirk.

_“Checkmate.”_

Changbin could recall three important conflicts that led him to be standing in this position.

After Changbin and Felix’s disastrous second interaction, Changbin immediately went to Minho to interrogate him about the very much unexpected piece of information that he had just been presented with. Minho decided to come clean so he explained that apparently both his and Chan’s parents worked at the Ministry of Magic's Department of International Magical Cooperation and this vacation the head of the Department had decided to organize a 5 day trip to a camp house as a way to raise morale.

The employees were allowed to bring family so both Minho and Chan tagged along. During one of the first gatherings, both boys realized that they were the only ones with a similar age there. They decided to stick together and realized that they actually liked each other’s company. They liked each other’s company so much that they were constantly glued to the hip.

On the third night a small ball was held and Minho asked Chan for a dance. Minho described the scene of them dancing with stars on his eyes and that sight alone was extremely amusing to Changbin. Minho continued saying that they eventually got bored and decided to ditch the ball to go outside to lay on the grass and talk. According to Minho, one minute he was looking up at the stars and the other Chan was grabbing his face joining their lips in a kiss. From there things escalated pretty quickly.

So after that fateful day Changbin became used to Chan’s presence every time he hung out with Minho and more times then he would have preferred, Felix’s as well. They were actually managing to maintain a pretty respectful facade but as soon as the couple was out of earshot they were way less cordial.

The first big conflict happened at the end of his second year when Minho quietly came into his room one night with a stoic face. Changbin immediately knew something was wrong so he hushed to the other boy’s side, hugging him while asking what had happened.

“Chan and I broke up.” Minho said in a neutral voice.

Changbin had to take a moment to fully absorb those words.

“I’m sorry. Are you ok?”

“It’s weird.”

“What is weird?”

“It’s weird because I’m not sad. He broke up with me but I’m actually relieved?” Minho said raising his head and looking at Changbin.

Changbin raised an eyebrow at that since the words that had left his friend's mouth wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

“It’s like I said it would happen, it was nice for a while but that was all it was. Just a vacation fling. He said he didn’t mind staying as friends and I agreed with him.”

“Yeah that is indeed weird.”

Minho chuckled.

“And the weirdest thing is that I know that he meant he wants to keep being friends. I honestly don’t know how he isn’t a Hufflepuff, he’s too nice for his own good.”

Changbin laughed at that statement.

That night Minho slept in Changbin’s bed while cuddling him. Even though the older boy claimed he wasn’t sad, Changbin insisted that he stayed because a break up was still a breakup and it’s nice to be comforted after something like that.

Long after Minho fell asleep, Changbin was still wide awake thinking about what this breakup meant for him. He wouldn’t need to be nice to Felix anymore or even see him for that matter. Obviously Changbin wasn’t about to start celebrating the break up _(he wasn’t that heartless)_ but that didn’t mean he wasn’t relieved.

It’s not that Changbin hated Chan (though he wasn’t that keen on starting a friendship with the other boy anytime soon) the thing is that Chan’s presence meant that Felix was always around and now that the older boy wouldn't be spending all meal breaks with Minho, Changbin would be free to ignore the little pest. It seemed that fate was finally working on his side.

Of course that was a thought that was quickly destroyed the next week when Changbin arrived at the Great Hall to eat breakfast and saw a student with red and golden robes sitting with his friends at the Slytherin table.

Changbin rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He thought he had gotten rid of that vermin but there he was laughing at something Jisung had just said. Changbin took a deep breath and proceeded to walk in the direction of his friends. Hyunjin noticed Changbin’s figure approaching the table and waved at him with an excited expression.

“Good morning Changbin hyung.”

Changbin just gave the boy a tight-lipped smile.

“Hey Hyunjin.” Even though Changbin was in a sour mood he wasn’t going to be rude to his friend, though there was the constant question in the back of his mind _“What the hell is Felix doing here?”._

Jisung stopped what he was saying and looked up to greet Changbin, while he did that the Gryffindor boy who was at the other side of the table also looked up. He immediately frowned. Changbin resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. Upon looking at Felix’s face closely, Changbin was surprised to see that his once blonde hair was now a soft pink color. Changbin snorted.

“Good Morning Changbinnie hyung. Something funny you want to share?” Felix said with a fake sweet voice.

“Oh nothing, I just really liked the inspiration for your hair color. Suits you really well.” Changbin said smirking.

Felix made a confused face. “Inspiration? What do you mean?”

“You know, a horklump. You look just like it.” Changbin said with a snicker.

Felix’s face became bright red and Changbin could see that the Gryffindor boy was holding himself back from attacking him. Hyunjin and Jisung just watched their interaction with confused faces. Changbin then turned to them with a bright smile. His mood was considerably better.

“Well it was nice talking to you guys but I gotta eat.” Changbin said while turning around and walking to where Minho and Chan were seated.

“Hey Changbin! Haven’t seen you in a while.” Chan greeted him with a big smile. Seriously, this boy is too happy for his own good.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Everything ok with you?” Changbin asked with a half-smile, trying to be polite.

“Ah, things have been a bit crazy especially now that I’ve become Gryffindor’s Prefect and Quidditch captain but overall it has been manageable.”

“Manageable as in he stays up until 2 am and wakes up at 6. I seriously don't know how you're even standing right now.” Minho said while scoffing and rolling his eyes.

Chan pouted and started to bicker with Minho who was now carrying a teasing smile.

Those two were so weird. Changbin thought it would take longer for them to actually be ok with each other but only a week had passed since their breakup and they were already bickering and teasing each other like nothing had happened.

“Chan hyung, why isn’t Felix with you today?” Changbin asked, trying to look disinterested.

“Ah nothing much. Felix said that he was going to eat with his friends today so I decided to catch up with Minho here.” Chan said while pointing at Minho who was looking at Changbin weirdly.

Changbin realized that he must have been frowning so he quickly smiled and nodded. Chan then turned his attention back to Minho and continued telling a story about a couple he caught making out at the bathroom on one of his night patrols.

_So Felix was now officially friends with Hyunjin and Jisung?_ He sighed internally. Seemed like he wasn’t going to get rid of that horklump any time soon.

The second big event happened when Changbin returned earlier to the Slytherin Common room after his Care for Magical Creatures class had been canceled because the Hippogriff that they were going to study was sick.

Changbin decided to go to Minho’s room since he knew the boy didn’t have any classes at the moment. He opened the door to the fourth year students room and stopped dead on his tracks. He was met with the sight of Minho with an extremely disheveled Jisung on his lap making out. Changbin let out a scream and both boys scrambled away from each other. Changbin started muttering numerous apologies as he ran upstairs to lock himself up in his room.

_What the hell._

_What the fuck had just happened._

Changbin was in shock. Two of his closest friends were apparently now dating and he had had no idea. And he saw Minho kissing someone. Even worse, kissing Jisung.

_Ew_

_Eeeeewww_

Now he was traumatized for life.

He decided to go take a shower to try to clean that terrible image from his head and when he returned to his room he saw Minho sitting on his bed.

Changbin sighed.

“Care to explain what I just saw?” Changbin said while placing his towel on a chair and sitting next to his friend.

“I didn’t want you to find out about it like this. I swear I was going to tell you.”

Changbin gave his friend a disbelieving look.

“It’s just that... me and Jisung are still figuring things out. I don’t want something serious right now and he’s the same. So we’re just having fun and going with the flow, I guess?”

Changbin sighed again.

“I really hope this doesn’t become messy, Minho. Please be careful with your and his feelings.”

“You worry too much Binnie. But yeah, I'm sorry you had to find out like that.” Minho said laughing apologetically.

Changbin shuddered. “I rather forget it. Let’s just pretend it never happened.”

“Yeah I agree.”

The next day after Jisung awkwardly greeted him Changbin gave the boy a reassuring smile saying that everything was fine, he had just been caught out of guard. Jisung let out a relieved breath and just went back to his carefree and happy persona, talking about how excited he was for the Quidditch tryouts. Changbin was sure Jisung and Hyunjin were going to make it in the team but when he received the official news he was extremely proud and happy for his friends. Jisung became the new chaser alongside with Minho and Hyunjin took the seeker spot.

Since Minho and Jisung began fooling around, Changbin had started to spend more time with Hyunjin. He realized that he quite enjoyed the other boy’s company. He was very clingy and sometimes overly loud but he was really fun to talk to and it was nice having someone other than Minho that he could confide in. One thing he was extremely grateful for was the fact that Hyunjin never brought Felix along when hung out with Changbin. The boy may seem inattentive but he was quite observant and he probably noticed the weird tension between the pair when they interacted.

Interestingly enough Changbin would only bump into Felix when he was with Wooyoung. Felix was a part of the dance club alongside his Hufflepuff friend and it seemed that every time Changbin was hanging up with Wooyoung, Felix needed to talk to him as well. It was getting extremely annoying. They would always greet each other with insults, Changbin calling Felix a “Horklump” and Felix replying by calling Changbin a “Dwarf”. Their respectful facade had been abandoned the minute Minho and Chan broke up, but other than that nothing much had happened. Until the third big conflict.

The last train wreck started when the first year teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts announced that he would be reopening the Dueling club to all students who would be interested in participating. There were limited spots so the teacher said he would choose the students who he thought would fit in the club the best.

Changbin had always found dueling interesting and he had never gotten the chance to try it out. Nowadays there wasn’t really an imminent reason to learn to defend yourself since duels became less common after Voldemort was defeated. However, it was still considered a valuable sport to learn so now that he had the opportunity, Changbin wanted to participate.

“Are you going to sign up for that?” Wooyoung asked while looking at the form Professor Do had handed out for those who were interested in participating.

Changbin was chilling with Wooyoung at the Clock Tower Courtyard. It was Sunday, the day in which the house elves made delicious snacks so that the students could have a nice treat before the week started once again. Both boys managed to snatch some cranberry pies from the kitchen and were now eating them while enjoying the last sunbeams of the day.

“Yeah, I think it will be a good opportunity to enhance my spell abilities. Especially my Transfiguration, you know how terrible I am at it.”

Wooyoung hummed. “If I wasn’t already busy with the dance club and the herbology tutoring I've been teaching I would join. Also this year Jimin hyung has been giving us new choreographies nonstop. I thought Hoseok hyung was bad enough in charge but it turns out Jimin hyung is even worse.”

Changbin chuckled.

“I’m going to hand in the form tomorrow. I hope I’ll be chosen.”

“Don’t worry about it, you’re good student Changbin.”

Changbin gave his friend a grateful smile.

Two weeks later Changbin was standing in front of the door of the Dueling Club room. He entered and saw students from all houses and different years there. About 20 students were chosen to be a part of the club.

He spotted Yeri, one of his teammates talking to Donghyuck, a Slytherin who was from the same year as Hyunjin and Jisung. He approached them and started making conversation, waiting for the Professor to arrive.

Professor Do entered the room and greeted the students. He started explaining how the club was going to work and how the duels were going to happen when suddenly the door of the room opened.

“Sorry Professor Do, I was just talking to Professor Park and lost track of time.”

“No problem Felix, please enter.”

_Really._

_Are you fucking kidding me._

_Even in the Dueling club he would have to put up with the horklump?_ Fate was definitely mocking Changbin.

“You’ll start training with the mannequins and eventually you will be able to duel each other. The first spell we’re going to learn will be the disarming charm. Disarming your opponent is not only one of the many ways you can save yourself but the most important one. The incantation is _Expelliarmus._ ”

All students nodded their heads.

“Each student will have to share a mannequin. I have already assigned the pairs, it’s on the paper on the wall and this will be your partner for most activities within the club.”

All students rushed to see who they were paired with and when Changbin saw the small name written in quill paint next to his he wanted to laugh. _Of course. His life wasn’t miserable enough already._

“Looks like we are together, dwarf.” Changbin heard the voice he despised the most say behind him.

“It does seem like the case, horklump.” Changbin said turning around and staring at the horklump in question.

Being partnered with Felix was hell. They were constantly throwing insults and riling each other up, trying to outdo each other to see who would get the most praises from Professor Do. Their competitive spirits were so high that Felix and Changbin were advancing in an alarmingly fast rate.

Professor Do then decide to schedule their first duel against each other. He decided to make the duels open for other students to watch, so on the day of Changbin and Felix’s match, all of their friends were there in the Dueling room. Changbin was determined to destroy the other boy.

Changbin and Felix were both standing in the middle of the room with Professor Do in between them.

“You both already know but the rules are simple: the one who’s forced into submission first wins. No dark magic is allowed. You will both bow and walk ten steps in opposite directions. After my command, you may begin.”

Changbin stared at Felix’s face with disdain before reluctantly bowing. They both turned around and took ten steps.

“Are the contestants ready?” Both Changbin and Felix nodded, already in fighting stance. “Ok, one, two, three, start!”

_“Incendio!”_

_“Aguamenti!”_

An instant splash was heard in the middle of the room. The flame that had just left Changbin’s wand had been put out by Felix’s water spell. Both spells were conjurations, an extremely difficult type of charm that ripped out surprised exclamations from the audience. Changbin had always had problems with spells involving Transfiguration but it seemed that the fire-making spell was his exception. It seemed that Felix had also realized that which made Changbin groan.

Without wasting another minute Changbin screamed a _“Stupefy”_ that Felix quickly blocked by creating a shield with _“Protego”_. Felix suddenly shouted a _“Anteoculatia”_ that Changbin managed to stop with a flick of his wand. The duel was getting extremely heated and the audience was on the edge of their seats, holding their breaths. It seemed like the match was never going to end with both Changbin and Felix managing to block every attack.

As Changbin was about to start another spell he was suddenly stopped by a greater force. It seemed that Felix had cast him an Impediment Jinx. It only lasted for five seconds but that was enough time for Felix to flick his wand, determining Changbin’s fate.

Suddenly, vines started appearing from the floor grasping Changbin’s ankle and throwing him on the ground. Changbin let out a horrified scream. They weren’t supposed to know how to do that. This was a seventh year spell so how the hell did a second year know how to do it? Changbin heard a _“Expelliarmus”_ and in a beat, his wand was gone from his hand.

A few seconds later Felix was standing in front of him pointing his wand in his direction, carrying a self-satisfied smirk.

_"Checkmate.”_

・・✦・・

“It’s ok, Hyunjin. It was just a small scratch.”

After Changbin lost the duel all of his friends went to congratulate him saying it had been a really close match and that he had done really well. While he appreciated his friend's words he was still extremely pissed by the fact that he had lost to Felix, now the other boy would have the upper hand in their relationship and would be able to brag about his win. Changbin was still very much surprised by the other boy’s knowledge. That last spell was not something a second year was supposed to know how to do. That was so unfair. Well, there would be other opportunities for him to take Felix down.

“I know, that’s why it is me that’s treating it and not Madam Pomfrey.” Hyunjin said distracting Changbin from his thoughts.

Changbin’s injured leg was resting on Hyunjin’s lap while the boy worked on his wound. After the duel against Felix ended Hyunjin saw that the vines had scratched Changbin’s leg so he held a hand out for him to stand up and helped him get to their Common room.

They were sitting on Changbin’s bed and Hyunjin had just finished cleaning the wound. He had a concentrated expression on his face while he muttered _“Episkey”_ an incantation that helped heal small injuries.

Changbin started to stare at the other boy’s face. It wasn’t a secret that Hyunjin was extremely attractive. Hell, anyone with a pair of working eyes was able to see that. Changbin had never really thought of his friend in a romantic way but after Minho had gotten together with Jisung Changbin had started to wonder what it would feel like to have someone like that. He hadn’t had his first kiss yet so he felt like he was missing out somehow. These were the thoughts that led him to reach out for Hyunjin’s chin, turning the boy’s face towards his.

Hyunjin looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Changbin then slowly leaned forward placing his lips on Hyunjin’s lips. Sensing a lack of reaction from the other boy Changbin started to lean away but then Hyunjin quickly reacted and kissed him back. After kissing for a while Changbin leaned away.

“Was this ok?” Changbin asked while rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yes, I just wasn’t expecting it.” Hyunjin replied while laughing lightly.

Changbin stared at Hyunjin. He was handsome, nice, and a reliable friend. And the kiss had felt good. That’s what liking someone was, right? With an internal shrug, Changbin decided to just say fuck it, might as well do it.

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” Changbin asked in a surge of confidence.

Hyunjin’s eyes widened, he stared at Changbin for a few moments and then his expression softened.

“I mean, yeah sure, why not?”

_Oh, that was easy._

“Oh, cool.”

・・✦・・

After the duel Changbin hadn’t run into Felix which was extremely relieving. Professor Do had dismissed this week’s club meeting due to some compromises. The week had thankfully been going by smoothly until Wednesday afternoon arrived.

Wednesday was his least favorite day of the week since it was the day that he had to attend his Divination classes. Poor second year Changbin had thought that Divination was one of the coolest subjects to ever exist, he, however, had been completely wrong and due to his mistaken judgment he had chosen Divination as his elective class.

At least he shared this class with Ravenclaw students, so that wasn’t too bad but to be completely honest staring at hands and crystals and trying to find some meaning in that was not as exciting as it seemed.

Professor Kim clapped her hands to draw the students attention to interrupting Changbin’s daydreaming.

“Today I’ll assign you all the first project of the year. It will be done in pairs and it will be about Chinese Fortune sticks.”

Changbin groaned. Great. At least this wasn’t a Gryffindor class or else he would have already gone insane.

Professor Kim started calling out the pairs and when Changbin heard his name and a Kim Seungmin being called, he and a Ravenclaw boy with round glasses approached the Professor.

“Here you go. This will be the sticks that you’ll use for your project. It’s due to next month.”

Changbin and the other boy nodded their heads and walked to the side while the Professor called the next pair.

“Hi I’m Seungmin. Nice to meet you.” Somehow the boy’s face rang a bell somewhere in Changbin’s mind. He had never noticed him in the class before but it felt like he had seen him somewhere else.

“I’m Changbin. Nice to meet you too.”

That’s when Changbin realized. “Wait, aren’t you a second year?”

“Yeah I am.” Seungmin replied a bit shyly.

“Then what are you doing taking a third year elective class?” Changbin asked with a dumbfounded tone.

Seungmin looked at his feet with a blush taking over his face.

“Hmmm so, before the year began I talked to headmaster McGonagall and she allowed me to do some third year elective classes during my free time since next year I’ll only be able to choose two and I wanted to do more.” Seungmin explained.

Changbin stared at the other boy with wide eyes.

“Holy shit.”

Seungmin let out an embarrassed chuckle.

“We have plenty of time to finish this project but I’d rather already start working on it. So, are you free this Friday afternoon?”

“Yeah, it’s ok for me.” Changbin said nodding his head.

“So let’s meet in the library after lunch?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“See you.”

“Yeah, see you.” Changbin said waving goodbye at the other boy. _Wow. He had been paired with a master nerd. Even for a Ravenclaw. Holy Shit._

・・✦・・

“Ok I think we already did enough for today.” Seungmin said while stretching his arms above his head.

This had been the third time Changbin and Seungmin met to work on their project and they were almost done. Changbin had come to really appreciate the Ravenclaw’s presence. He was extremely smart but he wasn’t stuck up about it and he was also very funny and quirky, always teasing Changbin even though he’s younger.

“Thank Merlin, if I read Chinese Fortune sticks one more time I would have thrown myself out of the window.”

“Stop being such a drama queen hyung.” Seungmin teased while snickering.

“I’m not dramatic, you’re the weird one who genuinely enjoys doing assignments.”

“Yeah, yeah you’ve already told me countless times I’m a big nerd or whatever.” Seungmin said while rolling his eyes.

“Because you are. Anyways, do you want to grab something to eat at the kitchens?”

“Yeah sure.”

Changbin and Seungmin collected their stuff and headed downstairs. They were bickering about which was the worst subject that they had to learn when Changbin heard a voice calling him. He turned around and when he saw who called him he smiled.

“Hey Binnie.” Hyunjin greeted him with a smile while hugging him. He took a step back and looked at Seungmin who was standing quietly next to Changbin. Hyunjin’s breath hitched for a second and then he looked back at Changbin with a flushed face. Changbin tilted his head, confused at the other boy’s reaction.

“Ah Seungmin, this is Hyunjin, my boyfriend.” Hyunjin gave Seungmin a shy wave. “Jinnie, this is Seungmin. He’s in your year but he’s taking Divination with me because he’s a total nerd.”

“YAH HYUNG.”

“Nice to meet you Seungmin.” Hyunjin said timidly.

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Where were you two headed?”

“We were going to the kitchens to grab some snacks. Wanna come?” Changbin asked while pointing downstairs.

“Food? You can always count me in.” Hyunjin said eagerly making Seungmin chuckle.

Changbin watched as Hyunjin easily fit into their discussion about the worst subject. He and Seungmin got along surprisingly well. In just a few minutes they were already laughing and bickering like they had known each other for years. It seemed that Seungmin didn’t have many friends so Changbin was happy that he helped the boy get acquaintanced with someone new, especially someone his age.

Changbin had just made a new friend. He had a boyfriend with whom he was very happy and he hadn’t seen Felix in two weeks. Things seemed to be finally looking up for him.

・・✦・・

One week had passed and Seungmin and Changbin had just finished their Divination class. The two of them had gotten even closer and they even started hanging out outside of their project meetings.

“Hey, do you want to hang out at the Great Hall or something?”

“Sorry hyung, I would love to but I promised I would help my friend with something.”

“Ah, Its o-” Changbin suddenly halted when he stepped out of the class and came across Felix.

“Felix!” Seungmin exclaimed. “I thought we were going to meet in your Common room!”

“Yeah we were but my class finished earlier than I had expected so I decided to come to meet you here.” Felix said while glaring at Changbin.

Changbin was baffled. _Nice sweet Seungmin was friends with the incarnation of all bad in the world himself?_

“Ah Felix this is Chang-”

“I know exactly who he is.” Felix said only intensifying his glare which Changbin gladly reciprocated.

“Oh, oooooh. Wait, so Chanbin hyung is… Oh well, this is awkward. Anyways, see you later Changbin hyung!” Seungmin said quickly while dragging Felix away from Changbin.

So Seungmin apparently was friends with Felix. Changbin could only imagine what terrible things Felix must have told Seungmin about him. It seemed that that horklump was going to follow him everywhere he went.

・・✦・・

It was a Friday afternoon and Changbin was wandering around the castle. He decided to go see if there was anyone at the Great Hall that could entertain him. When he arrived he was surprised to spot Yugyeom playing chess with a boy he didn’t recognize.

“Hey Yugyeom hyung! Haven’t seen you in a while.” Changbin greeted him with a wide smile.

“Changbin! Come here, sit with us. This is Jeongin, he’s a first year that I’ve taken under my wing.” Yugyeom said pointing at the smiling boy in front of him.

“It’s nice to meet you Changbin hyung.”

“Nice to meet you too. So, you guys are playing chess?”

“Yeah, I’m quite good at it and Innie here said that he wanted to learn how to play.”

“Oh really? Well, I’m also not really good at it maybe I’ll learn a thing or two.” Changbin said while sitting down next to Yugyeom, glad that he had found his friend to spend time with.

After some rounds someone approached their spot on the Hufflepuff table. Changbin looked up to see Chan sitting down next to Yugyeom, throwing his arms around the older boy.

Changbin raised his eyebrows at that, not really sure about what was happening. He had no idea Chan and Yugyeom knew each other and from the looks of it, they seemed to be very close. What an interesting development.

“Hey guys! Me and Minho were thinking about going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, are you in?”

Yugyeom looked at Chan with a soft smile on his face.

“I’m free and it’s been a while since I went, so sure.”

Chan looked at Changbin waiting for his response.

“Yeah I’ll go as well, there’s some stuff I need to buy.”

“Yay!” Chan beamed. “Friendship bonding time!”

Changbin cringed at that and Yugyeom just chuckled while patting the boy’s back.

“Poor Jeonginie can’t go yet.” Chan said while messing Jeongin’s hair. “Just wait two years and you’ll be able to come with us.”

Jeongin pouted and whined at his hyung for messing his hair. They all laughed at the younger’s cuteness.

Chan’s invitation had come quite in handy. Next week was his and Hyunjin’s first dating anniversary. They would be commemorating one month together and since Changbin was allowed to go to Hogsmeade he had planned on buying something from the village for his boyfriend.

The four boys continued playing and talking until Yugyeom claimed that it was late and Jeongin had to rest because he was a baby, which earned him a pout from the younger boy that only confirmed his words. The three boys agreed on meeting at the entrance at 9 am, they said goodnight to each other and headed to their respective Common rooms.

・・✦・・

Yugyeom and Chan were giggling while looking at some fun inventions at the Weasley store.

“Those two are whipped for each other.” Changbin said while looking at the pair.

Minho hummed in agreement.

The four boys had met at the entrance hall like they had planned the day before. Changbin had to almost drag Minho out of his bed so that they wouldn’t be late.

The quartet had already wandered through many different stores. They went to Spintwitches Sporting Needs where Changbin bought Hyunjin a small golden snitch key ring since he was the seeker of their team. Changbin was also planning on going to Honeydukes to buy some chocolate frogs to add to Hyunjin’s gift.

“When will they get their shit together? They're so obviously in love, it’s annoying.”

“Ah, like you’re one to talk.” Minho answered.

“Excuse me? What do you mean hyung, I’m literally dating Hyunjin.” Changbin answered glaring at Minho.

Minho only rolled his eyes and went up to talk to Yugyeom and Chan leaving a confused Changbin behind.

_What the hell._ Minho always said the weirdest shit.

Changbin pushed that thought away deciding to ignore what the older had said. They still had to go through a lot of shops and looking at Weasley’s inventions the whole day wasn’t what they were here to do.

“Come on kids, didn’t you say you wanted to go to the Three Broomsticks?”

“Kids?!?! You better run Seo Changbin before I beat you up.” Minho screamed while running in Changbin’s direction who was already on the other side of the street screaming for his life.

Chan started laughing loudly while Yugyeom just sighed looking at his friends fondly.

・・✦・・

“Binnie, I’m going to the library to study with Seungminie, ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, see you later.” Changbin answered without looking up from his textbook.

“You know what tomorrow is, right?”

That made Changbin look away from his book.

“Of course I do, Jinnie. We’ll meet to celebrate after my Dueling club meeting and your Potions class, right?”

“Yeah.” Hyunjin said softly. “See you later Bin.”

Hyunjin kissed his cheek and left the room. Changbin sighed. He was nervous about tomorrow. He really hoped Hyunjin liked his present. This was his first time in a relationship, he didn’t know if he was doing this right.

The thing is Changbin had barely had any reference throughout his life. His parents were… well, not the most affectionate people, you see. They haven’t hugged Changbin since he was four years old and they were pretty much the same with each other. It almost seemed like they were in a professional relationship rather than a romantic one so Changbin never really saw how couples behaved with each other closely.

Changbin had sent a letter to his parents telling them that he had gotten a boyfriend. They were extremely satisfied to see it was a Slytherin boy. They said he was meddling with the right people and that he had finally done something useful.

_Useful._

That’s a word he didn't hear very often. His parents normally preferred the opposite. As in useless, disappointment, not good enough, and other things. Changbin knew they just wanted the best for him, right? _That’s what parents do, right?_

Anyways, the point is that Changbin was glad for Hyunjin. The other boy was extremely patient and he never pushed him. He was a really good friend. I mean, boyfriend. Changbin shook his head. He needed to sleep, he wasn’t thinking coherently anymore. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and he needed to be well-rested. He got up from the table where he was studying and went up to his room to get ready for bed.

・・✦・・

Before the Dueling club meeting started, Changbin decided to go to the bathroom to relieve himself. He went inside one of the stalls and did his business. Upon coming out of the stall he stopped dead on his tracks when he saw a pink-haired boy washing his hands.

“Horklump.” Changbin grunted while heading to a sink on the other corner of the bathroom.

Felix turned his head to look at Changbin with a pissed off expression.

“Can you stop that?”

“Nah I don’t think I can.” Changbin replied with a mocking voice.

“You could try to not be such a dick you know.” Felix said while drying his hands with a towel.

“Well I could say the same to you but you’re a Gryffindor so that’s impossible.” Changbin said while turning his body to face Felix, placing his hands on his hips.

“Can you cut the house rivalry crap? You’re literally so childish.” Felix said taking a step forward.

“Well, at least I’m not the one who cheats on duels.” Changbin said while slowly approaching the other boy.

“Cheats?” Felix scoffs. “I beat you fair and square.”

“No you didn’t, we haven’t even learned that vine spell you used.” Changbin spitted out angrily already only a foot away of distance from the pink-haired boy.

“Well I can’t help it if you’re so useless.” Felix replied looking at Changbin with distaste.

Changbin’s breath hitched. He started seeing red.

“Say that again.”

“That you are useless? Because you are.”

If there was something Changbin couldn’t take was being called useless. Changbin took a stride forward, anger clouding his mind. He forcefully grabbed Felix’s collar putting their faces just a few inches away from each other.

_“Shut up.”_

_“Make me.”_

Changbin’s breath hitched again for a second but then he harshly pushed Felix away. They both pulled out their wands, Changbin screamed a _“Stupefy”_ but Felix was faster and managed to disarm him after screaming _“Expelliarmus”._ Changbin’s spell, however, managed to distract Felix for a second so he hid inside one of the stalls.

Changbin heard Felix chuckling as his steps got closer.

“Why are you hiding dwarf? I just want to talk.” Felix said with a mock hurt voice. “C’mon Binnie, there’s no reason to hide. Let’s settle this like real men."

Changbin saw a small rock next to the toilet he was crouched behind so he decided to throw it at the opposite wall of the bathroom hoping it would distract Felix. It worked, the boy looked in the direction of the sound for a split second but that was enough time for Changbin to throw himself at Felix, yanking his wand from his hand and throwing it somewhere far away.

Felix recovered fast and in a quick movement, he threw Changbin on the floor with a sweep kick. Changbin’s back hit the floor but he managed to kick Felix in the gut, making him fall as well. Changbin got on top of Felix and punched his face, though Changbin underestimated Felix’s strength who managed to flip them over so that now he was the one to throw a punch at Changbin’s face. Changbin managed to kick Felix away from him and as he was about to run towards the other boy to throw another punch, he felt someone holding him back.

Suddenly the room filled up with noise again. He hadn’t realized but three people had entered the bathroom while he and Felix were fighting. Yugyeom was holding him back while Chan was at the other side of the room also constricting Felix. They were shouting at them to stop.

“Fuck you.” Changbin spat.

“Go die in a ditch bitch.” Felix screamed at him still struggling to break out of Chan’s hold.

Faintly Changbin registered Professor Kyungsoo’s presence in the back voicing an incantation. After that everything went black.

・・✦・・

The next thing Changbin remembers is waking up in the Hospital Wing with Minho seated on a chair softly snoring next to him. He groans as he feels a headache creeping into his brain. That noise seems to stir Minho out of his slumber.

Minho rubs his eyes, blinks a few times and looks at him with a tired face.

“You really fucked up did you know that?”

“Wow not even a ‘Hi Changbin how are you feeling?’”

“Nope, you don’t deserve that right now. Look, I knew you didn’t like Felix but this was bit much, no?”

Changbin sighed looking at his lap ashamedly.

“And Hyunjin is really mad. And I mean like mad mad.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah Changbin, holy shit.”

Changbin had missed their first anniversary. Because of a stupid fight. _Oh Merlin, he was absolutely fucked._ He facepalmed while letting out a pained groan.

Changbin didn’t see Madam Pomfrey approaching his bed.

“Seo Changbin?”

Changbin raised his head and nodded.

“Your injuries during the fight weren't that serious so I managed to treat them easily, the spell Professor Do used to knock the both of you out however took quite a toll on your body so you were unconscious for three days.”

“Three days?” Changbin asked completely baffled.

“Yeah, you’re both lucky that spell did only that. Anyways, you’re already healed so you can go back to your activities but Professor Do wants to see you and your little friend right there in his room.” Madam Pomfrey said that while pointing somewhere to his right. Changbin looked to where she was pointing and only then he realized the knocked out Felix and the sleeping Seungmin next to him.

_Oh fuck._

・・✦・・

A few hours later Felix and Changbin were seated next to each other in front of Professor’s Do desk with their heads hung down. Professor Do cleared his throat.

“You won’t be expelled and you won’t be kicked out of the dueling club.”

Both boys snapped their heads up, surprised at the Professor words.

“You are both great students and I would hate to not have you both on the club, however, your behavior last week was very disappointing so you will have to face detention together.”

Both boys nodded, having already expected a punishment like that but grateful that they would be able to continue in the club.

“There has been something unsettling the animals in the Forbidden Forest and you two will do a patrol tomorrow night to find out what is wrong. You will both meet with me at the edge of the forest but you will go inside by yourselves. I hope you will able to find out the source of the disturbances. The next day you can both report what happened to me in this room, all understood?” Professor Kyungsoo said.

Felix and Changbin nodded their heads again.

“Good. Ok, you can both go. I will see you tomorrow night.”

・・✦・・

After the talk with Professor Do, Changbin went straight to his Common room. He had to talk with Hyunjin. The boy wasn’t in the common area so Changbin went to his boyfriend’s room.

Hyunjin was sitting on the floor talking quietly with Jisung. They raised their heads to see who had entered. Jisung stood up with an angry expression but Hyunjin held him back. He whispered something on the other boy’s ear that made him visibly relax. He passed by Changbin glaring at him but left the room, albeit reluctantly.

“Hyunjin I’m so sorry.” Changbin said taking a step forward.

“No Changbin, don’t.” Hyunjin said while raising one of his hands, motioning for Chanbin to stay where he was. “I can’t believe you missed our first anniversary because you were fighting with Felix in the bathroom.”

“But Hyunjin…”

“Changbin, I don’t want to hear any excuses. I was waiting for you in our common room for almost an hour when Minho came running saying that you were in Hospital Wing knocked out.” Hyunjin said with a pained voice. “Do you know how did they find you both, Changbin? Professor Do was worried because you and Felix never miss any meetings so he decided to go looking for you and thankfully he bumped into Yugyeom and Chan in the corridor. That’s when they heard you and Felix screaming in the bathroom at the end of the corridor.” Hyunjin took in a breath and waited a few seconds to formulate his next words.

“How far would you two have gone if they hadn't torn you apart first? One of my best friends and my boyfriend almost killing each other. How do you think that made me feel?”

Changbin looked at the floor. “I really am sorry Hyunjin.”

“I’ll only talk to you after you fix things up with Felix, for now, I don’t want to see you.”

Changbin nodded and left Hyunjin’s room. _Merlin, he had really fucked up._

・・✦・・

Changbin was walking next to Felix in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.

“I seriously hate you so much.”

“The sentiment is mutual.”

They had met with Professor Do at the edge of the forest earlier that night so that he could check that both boys had been present to carry out their punishment. Even though Changbin was glad he hadn’t been expelled, he was seriously reconsidering his options. He and Felix had already been walking for more than an hour in complete silence, both of their wands illuminated with _"Lumos"_ since that was their only source of light inside the eerie forest.

“Because of you Jinnie is mad at me so that makes you a bad friend.” Changbin retorted.

“Your logic is extremely twisted did you know that?” Felix said while looking at Changbin.

“I don’t care I just know it was your fault.”

“How was that my fault?”

“Well, maybe if hadn’t toppled over me the first time you saw me nothing would have happened.”

“Wait, shut up.”

“No I will not shut up.”

“No seriously be quiet. Do you hear that?” Felix said while placing his hands over Changbin’s mouth.

Changbin was startled by Felix’s sudden closeness but he became silent and tried to hear the noise the other boy was talking about. Now that he was focusing there was indeed a distant rumbling sound that seemed to be getting closer.

“Yeah, you’re right. It almost seems like it’s something moving.”

“But where’s it coming from?”

Changbin was about to reply when he heard the noise getting considerably louder and he finally realized what it was. He suddenly tackled Felix throwing both of them on the ground behind a big tree.

“What the fuck Changbin-”

Felix’s words were interrupted by a horde of frantic deers passing by where they had just been standing.

“What the hell was that?” Changbin asked. He looked down and realized he was still on top of Felix. He quickly scrambled back, his face getting warm for some weird reason.

“Hmmm”

“Thank you, Changbin.”

Changbin’s eyes widened.

“Wh- what? Why?”

“If you hadn’t reacted so fast we would have surely been trampled by those deers.”

“Ah, you’re welcome.” Changbin replied while rubbing his neck. That was weird. They were actually being nice to each other.

“Guess that’s the direction we have to go to.” Felix said while pointing to where the deers had come running from.

“I hate it that you’re right.” Changbin said sighing.

“Let’s go then?”

“Sure.”

As they further entered the forest, the darker it became. Changbin could feel Felix shivering next to him so he took out his cape offering it to the boy.

“But won’t you be cold?”

“It’s ok, I don’t normally feel cold.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s ok.” Changbin replied with a small smile.

Felix suddenly stopped.

“Changbin, do you hear anything?”

“No, why?”

“Exactly, why aren’t there any sounds? Not even an owl hoot? Or bugs? Or anything at all?”

Changbin felt a shiver running down his spine, he looked around but it was already too late. From the shadows, a bunch of spiders from most varied sizes started crawling out forming a circle around Changbin and Felix. Changbin could hear Felix’s breath getting fast but he himself wasn’t any better. He absolutely hated insects. It was like his worst nightmare had just come to life. They were face to face with a pack of enormous spiders.

“Acromantulas? But I thought they were extinct!” Felix shrieked.

Suddenly, a commotion happened and the biggest spider Changbin had ever seen in his life appeared in front of them.

“You know who we are? What a smart boy.” The big spider said. _Fucking Merlin._

Changbin’s mouth opened in shock.

“We had been keeping a low profile for the longest time and a lot of you insignificant humans even forgot about us. Our old leader however died and me, the new leader, decided to shake things up a little bit.”

“So you are the ones who have been scarring the other animals away.” Felix said as a matter of fact.

“Ah that? Yeah, we were thirsty for some blood. Living the vegetarian life our old leader imposed was sooo boring. But this right here is a very nice and very unexpected development that I'm definitely not against.”

“What? What do you want?” Changbin growled at the spider.

“What do I want? Silly boy, I want your blood of course.”

Felix let out a whimper. Changbin decided that he had had enough of the talking spider so he grabbed Felix’s hand and tried to run to the right side but the other spiders quickly blocked the passage.

“Foolish boys, you really think you’re getting out of here alive?”

Changbin positioned himself in front of Felix, trying to shield the other boy.

“Eat shit you ugly ass bug.” Changbin screamed.

“Were those your last words? Too bad. Family, the dinner is served.”

All spiders began to advance. Changbin started throwing spells at the ones close to him, managing to knock some of them out but there were too many.

Suddenly Changbin heard Felix muttering something. Changbin had no idea what the other boy was doing but he hoped something happened and something happened fast.

He continued casting spells but the spiders were only getting closer.

“Felix” Changbin said in desperation trying to see if the boy had any ideas.

As if it was a blessing coming from above (literally), a broom came flying towards them and managing to scare some of the spiders away. Changbin then realized what Felix had been doing. He had conjured Changbin’s broom. And from an enormous distance. Holy shit.

Changbin decided that it was smarter to be impressed by that spell later since they were still in mortal danger. He quickly hopped on the broom and Felix did the same, hugging his middle tightly as they flew away from the spiders.

One spider managed to jump on Felix’s leg making the boy scream and become paralyzed with fear. Changbin quickly screamed a “Stupefy” and stunt the monster away from them. They hastily flew over the forest and Changbin managed to poorly land the broom on the Quidditch training grounds. They both collapsed on the floor panting.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. Holy shit.”

Both boys started laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

“Who would have thought. I mean, Acromantulas? That’s some crazy shit.” Felix said with a disbelieving voice.

“How did they not know that? And they just sent us, a second and a third year student to deal with that.”

They laughed again. After they slowly calmed down there was a moment of silence that was eventually broken by Felix.

“Hey, you weren’t too bad out there.”

“Yeah, you too.” Changbin said while smiling.

“I’m sorry for saying you were useless. You aren’t. You’re pretty useful actually. You saved me today more times than I can count.” Felix said while looking at Changbin apologetically.

“No, I’m sorry for judging you just because of your house. It wasn’t fair of me. I guess Gryffindors aren’t all that bad.”

Felix chuckled.

“So, friends?” Felix said raising one of his hands with a hopeful look on his face.

Changbin stared at the hand in front of him, with a warm feeling blooming in his chest he grabbed Felix’s hand and shook it.

_“Yeah, friends.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing like a life or death situation to bring people together, am i right? 
> 
> anyways, hi! i had a lot of fun writing this chapter so i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> the changlix fighting scene was inspired by this [amazing fanart](https://twitter.com/jjhwgi345/status/1225135344254967808)


	3. i know it because i’m a fool, i can’t live without you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a mess
> 
> [chapter title inspiration](https://open.spotify.com/track/3diZHzXj5LNxztVwBjnebn?si=SjA0mltSTCqoT_v8mftNLg)

“Watch my hands closely.” Felix said after tucking a strand of hair that was blocking his eyes behind his ear.

Changbin hummed and stared at the boy’s right hand which was holding his wand. Felix’s wand was long and thin, it had a soft beige color with delicate root designs at its base.

Felix had told Changbin earlier that his wand made of Fir wood with a thunderbird tail feather as the core. He had explained that this type of wood combined with this specific core were the perfect combination for Transfiguration spells, hence one of the reasons why he was so good at it.

Apparently the Gryffindor boy knew quite a lot about wand properties (courtesy of his grandfather being acquainted with some members of the Ollivander’s family), so he was immediately able to tell that Changbin’s wand had a unicorn tail hair as the core and was made of Hawthorn wood. Changbin’s wand, as opposed to Felix’s, was smaller and a bit rougher, it had a dark brown color with a simple round base.

Felix had said that this combination somehow fitted Changbin perfectly, which was more or less what Ollivander had told him when he had went to acquire his wand before his first year at Hogwarts started. Changbin tried to extract more information from the other boy since he was curious of why Felix thought his wand fitted him so much but the other boy decided that he would tell Changbin the reason why when time was right. Changbin had rolled his eyes at Felix’s unnecessary theatrics but agreed to wait for the ‘right time’ nonetheless.

_“Evanesco.”_ Felix said while waving his wand downwards in a left to right kind of motion. The cauldron cake on top of the table vanished into thin air.

“Your turn.” Felix said eagerly while looking at him.

Changbin nodded and took in a deep breath. He stared at the small cake in front of him and with another decisive nod he raised his wand and tried to repeat Felix’s hand gestures.

_“Evanesquo.”_

A loud booming noise was heard and the cauldron cake that was once in front of him was now smashed against the wall at the other side of the room. Felix started laughing.

Changbin pouted.

“You’re so meaaan.” Changbin whined. “What kind of tutor are you?”

Felix was rolling on the floor and gasping for air because of how much he was laughing. When he finally managed to calm down he raised his head and looked at Changbin with a wide smile. _What a little devil._

“The kind that will teach you this vanishing spell.”

Changbin rolled his eyes.

“Come on Binnie, don’t pout. Let’s try that again.” Felix said while ruffling Changbin’s hair.

Changbin spluttered at that action.

“It’s Changbin hyung for you brat. Don’t get too comfortable.” Changbin said while glaring at the younger boy.

“Sure, whatever you say Binnie _hyung._ ” Felix replied smugly.

Changbin just sighed and grabbed another cauldron cake from the bag next to him.

・・✦・・

Being friends with Felix was, for a lack of a better word, really weird.

If fourth year Changbin went back in time and told second year Changbin that he was now friends with his worst enemy, Changbin of the past would have definitely laughed in his face.

After the whole Acromantula episode, Changbin and Felix’s relationship completely shifted. They started willingly hanging out with each other and they realised that despite their initial impressions, they actually got along really well.

Changbin had been extremely impressed by Felix’s Transfiguration abilities after he had managed to conjure Changbin’s broom in the forest while being surrounded by giant murderous spiders. So, throwing his pride aside, Changbin decided to ask Felix for tutoring sessions to help him with his transfiguration problems and the boy happily complied.

Their friends were suspicious in the beginning but after some time they realised that this new formed bond was indeed genuine. Hyunjin had been the most excited by this new friendship and he wasted no time in merging their friend groups together.

Soon enough, Hyunjin, Changbin, Felix, Jisung and Minho were always seen eating together in the Slytherin table. After some persuasion from Hyunjin, Felix and Changbin’s part, Seungmin also started joining them. Some days even Chan and Yugyeom would stop by and eat with them or just say “hi” since both of them had extremely hectic schedules.

One day at the end of Changbin’s third year the two older boys brought a shy Jeongin along to eat with them and like just magic, Jeongin perfectly fit into their chaotic group. It was like their puzzle was finally complete and Jeongin was the missing piece.

Each day the number of people who ate together in the Slytherin table would vary since all of them had other friends and compromises but it was an unspoken consensus that this new group of nine had formed a special bond. It almost seemed like some fate bullshit and all that was needed for everything to fall into place was for Changbin and Felix to get their shit together.

The rest of Changbin’s third year went by just like that: him getting to know his new friends better (he even started to genuinely enjoy Chan’s over enthusiastic company), spending time with his boyfriend (Hyunjin and him were the perfect couple, it seemed like nothing could ever tear them apart), having tutoring sessions with Felix (his transfiguration grades had never been better) and also training dueling with him (Professor Do had been extremely glad about their new dynamic, they were still competitive as ever but now they didn’t want to kill each other), it seemed like things had finally started looking up for him.

Changbin had also convinced his parents to let him stay at Hyunjin’s house during the summer break before the start of his fourth year, which was a big relief. Hyunjin and Changbin had a great time, Minho and Jisung also came to stay with them on the last week before school started. Everything was fine and he had never been happier.

The first day back however, Changbin was very much taken aback by the sight that greeted him at Platform 9 3/4.

“Changbin hyung!”

Felix’s hair was vibrant red. _Merlin’s beard._ It was like his scalp was full of phoenix’s feathers. Also, it seemed like he had grown a few centimetres taller. His face was less chubby, less childlike… _and holy shit, was that a tan?_ His freckles were so prominent it felt like they were almost jumping out of his face. His time in Australia had really done him some good.

_In short, he looked hot._

Changbin gulped and swatted that thought away.

“Wah you really decided to go full on with the whole Gryffindor thing this year. Did you eat a phoenix or something?”

Felix rolled his eyes.

“Just say I look good Binnie hyung.”

Changbin scoffed.

“You wish.”

Felix pouted in mock hurt and attached himself to Changbin’s arm while doing ridiculous aegyo.

“Binnie...”

Changbin started laughing at the boy’s buffoonery and was about to tease him back when he heard the train driver shouting that the express was about to depart.

“Come on Lix, let’s see if the others are inside already.”

Felix beamed and nodded eagerly. He detached himself from Changbin’s side and excitedly hopped inside the train to try and find the carriage where their friends were. Changbin smiled warmly and shook his head in amusement.

“Cute.” Changbin whispered to himself while following the boy through the train corridor.

・・✦・・

Changbin was pacing back and forth trying to release some tension.

Today was the first game of the year that officially started the Quidditch season. The first match was always the most nerve wracking so he wanted to do well, and the fact that it was Slytherin against Gryffindor only enhanced that sentiment.

Minho and Jisung had already entered the playing field and were stretching while talking to Chan. Hyunjin had been with Changbin just a few minutes before but he told him that he was going to try to find Seungmin before the match started since he wanted to talk to the Ravenclaw boy about some specific shots he would like him to take (Seungmin was the photographer of the Hogwarts paper so he always had to come to the matches).

“Good luck out there.”

Changbin was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Felix standing in front of him. The Gryffindor boy was wearing a big red fluffy scarf that was covering half of his face but his red hair and deep voice were unmistakable. He smiled.

“Thanks Felix.”

“You'll need it.” Felix replied while smirking.

“Yah! You little shit!”

The red haired boy burst out laughing at his reaction and soon enough Changbin joined him as well.

“I understand why you’re nervous, afterall, you’re playing against Hogwarts best Quidditch team.” Changbin scoffed. “But if it’s any consolation, know that there will be tiny part of my heart rooting for you-”

Changbin’s eyes widened.

“You guys! Haha, you know, you and Jisung and Minho and Hyunjin! My friends, yes. Ha… Well anyways, you should get going! The match is about to start.” Felix finished hastily.

Changbin looked at the field and sure enough Madam Hooch was already talking to Chan and Tzuyu, probably checking with the captains if everything was ready.

“So, I’ll go find Jeongin... Yeah… Hm, bye.” Felix stammered out and then quickly turned around so that he could head to his seat.

Changbin was also about to leave when a second later Felix turned around again and pulled him into a hug, taking him completely by surprise. Changbin stood there absolutely petrified, not knowing how to react. Felix had never hugged him. This was an entirely new development to their relationship.

“Don’t worry, ok? I know you’ll do well.” Changbin heard Felix say from where he was, squished against the slightly taller boy’s chest.

Changbin at that moment could only feel the softness of Felix’s scarf against his face and hear the other boy’s heartbeat. He then realised that he hadn’t reacted to the hug yet but before he could do anything, Felix took a step back while giving him a small smile and without saying another word he bolted away. Changbin just stared at Felix’s frame as he disappeared through the stairs, heading to the stands to watch the game.

“Changbin the match is about to start!”

Changbin turned at the sound of Minho’s voice calling him. He took a deep breath and with a much lighter heart and a small smile on his face, he entered the field.

・・✦・・

Hyunjin had caught the Golden Snitch. Slytherin won.

Changbin immediately flew his broom to where his teammates were, all of them huddled around Hyunjin celebrating their win. Changbin saw Chan’s figure at the side and decided to go talk to him.

“Hey, you played really well today, it was a close game.” Changbin said when he got closer to the boy.

“Thanks mate, you too. It was so hard trying to score today, you were on top of your game. I had never seen you this energized.”

“Thanks Chan hyung.” Changbin said while rubbing his nape and looking at floor.

“Chan hyung!”

Changbin looked at the direction of the loud voice that was screaming the name of the boy in front of him and saw Felix’s figure running in their direction.

A second later Felix came crashing into the older boy’s chest. Chan let out a pained groan. Yugyeom and Jeongin were also coming in their direction but in a much more decent pace.

“You played so well today hyung! We almost had them! Mark was so close to catching the snitch but Hyunjin's enormous limbs managed to get to it first.”

Changbin chuckled.

“Yah that’s my boyfriends limbs you’re talking about little pest.”

“Hey I heard my name! Stop talking shit you losers.” Hyunjin barged into their conversation smiling teasingly while being accompanied by Minho and Jisung.

“You did so well today Jinnie, congrats!” Changbin said while turning around and facing his boyfriend.

Hyunjin smiled and stepped forward, sliding a hand on Changbin’s waist and placing a kiss on his lips. Changbin heard Minho and Jisung letting out disgusted yelps. When Changbin leaned away he caught a glimpse of Felix’s face that somehow looked a bit dejected but that expression was gone so fast that Changbin almost thought he had imagined it.

“Luck was on your side today but I wouldn’t get too cocky, it was a tough match.”

“Yeah loser, whatever.” Jisung said while patting Felix’s head. Felix swatted his hand away while groaning and everybody started laughing.

“Hey guys, great game today. I took a lot of nice pictures.” Seungmin’s nasally voice said, interrupting their laughter.

“Can I see them Minnie?” Hyunjin asked beaming and immediately going to stand next to the Ravenclaw boy.

“Yeah sure but I think it’s better if we look at them while we eat, no?”

“That’s a good idea Seungmin.” Yugyeom said warmly while looking at the eight boys in the small circle that had been formed. “I bought some chocolate frogs for everybody the last time I went to Hogsmeade and I thought that we could eat them for dessert. Who’s in?”

“Yay!” Jisung screamed like an excited kid.

“Hyung you’re the best!” Jeongin said brightly.

All boys then headed to the Great Hall to eat. They were talking about the game and teasing each other. There was something bugging Changbin though. Felix hadn’t properly looked at him since after the hug.

“Hey Lix, are you ok?” Changbin asked after he quietly approached the other boy.

Felix jumped a bit.

“Yeah hyung, just a bit sad we lost but overall I’m ok. Why?”

Changbin felt stupid. He was probably just overthinking this.

“Oh, nothing.”

There was an awkward pause.

“Hey you two, stop being so slow or I’ll eat your chocolate frogs.” Minho screamed from where he was at the end of the corridor, way ahead of Felix and Changbin.

“You monster! Don't you dare!” Changbin shouted back.

“Try me bitch!” Minho then bolted up the stairs without looking back.

Changbin stared at Felix who also stared back at him and without wasting another second they started running after Minho while screaming threats at the older boy. Changbin would definitely have to thank him later.

・・✦・・

Since last year Changbin had started weekly tutoring sessions and dueling training with Felix at the room of requirement. Minho was the one who told him about the room. Apparently the older boy used to go there a lot in his second year to skip classes. Changbin however decided to make a better use of it since he and Felix weren’t really allowed to be battling outside of the club.

Today they were training dueling. The room had shifted to be filled with mirrors that absorbed spells to avoid causing a mess. They had been at it for more than an hour, having had already multiple matches against each other.

_“Confundo!”_ Changbin screamed while flicking his wand.

The spell managed to hit Felix who was left disoriented for a second, making him trip over his feet and fall down.

_“Expelliarmus.”_

Felix’s wand flew across the room. Changbin approached the stunned boy on the floor.

_“Checkmate.”_ Changbin said chuckling.

Felix glared jokingly at him. “You’re never going to let that go are you?”

“Nope.” Changbin answered while offering his hand for Felix to take.

Felix held Changbin’s hand, propelling his body up so that he could stand. He however used a bit too much force for his still confused senses which made him come tumbling forward right into Changbin’s chest.

Changbin’s breath was knocked out of his lungs. He looked down at his armful of Felix and said boy was already gazing back at him. Changbin stayed frozen for a second, staring at Felix’s face dazedly.

Felix was extremely pretty this close. His wide eyes were really sparkly, they matched well with the freckles constellations in his cheeks. He also had very full red lips that complimented the color of his hair really nicely and… _Wait. Where the fuck did that train of thought come from._

Changbin was suddenly knocked back to reality. That’s when he realised that his and Felix’s face were way too close for comfort. Changbin let out a yelp and they both scrambled away from each other with red tinting their cheeks.

_There was nothing wrong with appreciating his friend’s appearance, right? I mean, he wasn’t blind. He knew Felix was good looking. His small face dotted with freckles, his delicate hands, his lean body and his tiny waist were a really attractive combination. Those were normal and objective facts friends noticed about each other, right? Right?_

“I guess your _‘Confundus’_ spell was really efficient.” Felix said laughing a bit forcefully. “You’re getting way too good at this, soon you won’t even need my tutoring anymore.”

“Yeah right, no need to exaggerate Felix.” Changbin replied.

“I’m being serious hyung! You have been improving in an impressive rate.”

“Thanks Lix.” Changbin said a bit embarrassed while looking down at his feet.

“Well, are you still up for another match?” Felix asked with a small smile.

“Sure thing, bring it on.”

・・✦・・

“Hyung, I want to give you a Christmas present.”

It was Christmas eve and Felix and Changbin had stayed back at Hogwarts. It was true what they said, time really flies by when you’re having fun.

Changbin always spent his Christmas alone at school since his parents never cared much about this holiday and they didn’t mind him not spending it with them, Felix staying back, however, was not something usual. He had been extremely surprised when the younger boy told him that he was going to be making him company during the holiday. Felix had said that he wanted to experience what it was like celebrating Christmas at the school and his parents had agreed to let him stay.

“Lix I told you already, there’s no need for that.”

“But I really want to Binnie hyung!” Felix whined. “And I won’t even have to spend money on it!”

Changbin perked up at that, interested in what the boy had in mind.

“Ok, so what is it then?”

Felix smiled and took a knife out of his pocket. Changbin raised an eyebrow.

“Are you planning on murdering me? Is that what you call a present?” Changbin asked with an amused expression.

Felix hit Changbin’s arm while rolling his eyes.

“Yeah because killing you with knife surely is the most efficient way that I can end your life.”

“I don’t know, you’re weird. Can you blame me?”

Felix sighed and just decided to ignore his words. He then pulled out his wand from his robes and quietly chanted a spell. The knife in Felix’s hands slowly transformed into something Changbin had never seen.

“Holy shit Lix.” Changbin’s eyes were wide open. Felix’s transfiguration abilities never ceased to amaze him. “What is that?”

Felix let out a small giggle.

“That’s a hair clipper and your Christmas present will be a makeover.”

Changbin snapped out from his stupor and looked at the other boy who was carrying a cheeky grin. “What? No.”

Felix grabbed Changbin’s cheeks squishing them, swaying the boy’s head from one side to the other.

“Why Binnie? Do you not trust me?” Felix asked with mock hurt while pouting.

Changbin stared at the scene in front of him.

Felix was smiling widely at him, his freckles on full display. His casual clothes and the red fluffy scarf wrapped around his neck made him look very cozy and homey. The sunset light coming from the high windows of the bathroom were shining on his head and his red hair seemed as if it was on fire. He looked almost ethereal.

Changbin cleared his throat and took a step back. What the fuck was wrong with him lately. His face started to feel warm so he held Felix’s hands and placed them on the boy’s sides so that he wouldn’t embarrass himself any further.

“Aish Lix… I guess you can give me a makeover. I mean, it’s only hair right? If this goes wrong it’ll grow out eventually.”

“That's the spirit hyung! Though you should trust my hairstyling abilities more, I mean, I have died and cut my hair by myself more times than I can count.”

“Yes I have noticed.” Changbin said chuckling. “Ok let’s do this.”

Felix led Changbin to one of the bathroom stalls motioning for him to sit on the toilet.

Changbin then heard a small buzzing noise so he turned his head to see what it was. Felix had turned on the object that was supposed to cut his hair. The Gryffindor boy hushed Changbin to keep looking forward so that he could start clipping his hair.

“Ok hyung, I’ll start using the hair clipper now.”

Changbin nodded his head. Even though he was a bit nervous about a buzzing machine coming near his face he fully trusted Felix abilities.

Suddenly, Changbin felt Felix hands brushing the locks on the right side of his head to the opposite side. Changbin closed his eyes relaxing into the other boy’s touch. Hyunjin had a habit of playing with Changbin’s hair but somehow with Felix it felt different, he didn’t know why though.

Changbin let himself get lost in the feeling of Felix touching his strands as the boy continued to work on clipping off his hair. Changbin could feel the hairs that were being cut falling on his shoulder, which were making him a bit itchy. Felix realised his discomfort and chanted a spell that blew a slight breeze on his shoulders, making the clipped hairs fall on the ground in a small pile. Felix continued working on his locks, giving his hair some last touches.

Felix took a step back, standing in front of Changbin so that he could take a final look at his work. Changbin saw Felix’s breath hitch but the boy quickly recovered and Changbin wondered if he had imagined that.

“I’m done.”

Changbin stood up from the toilet and made his way to where the mirrors were placed. He was nervous with how his new hairstyle would turn out. As Changbin was about to stand in front of the mirror, Felix turned the boy around which caused Changbin to let out a surprised yelp. Felix then carefully took a step forward. Changbin was petrified. What the hell was happening. Felix then raised one of his hands and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. Satisfied, Felix took a step back and turned Changbin around so that he could finally stare at his reflection.

Changbin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Wow Lix you did an amazing job.”

Changbin could see through the mirror that Felix was smiling widely at the compliment. Changbin ran his hands through the undercut Felix had made on the right side of his head. It made him look really good. Felix had drawn two parallel stripes that gave him an intimidating aura. Changbin had liked his new look a lot.

“I’m really glad you like it hyung. You look stunning.” Felix said with a faint pink dusting his cheeks.

Changbin choked on air and stared at the floor. _God why was he so embarrassing? Get yourself together Seo Changbin._

“But now I feel guilty, you gave me this amazing Christmas present and I didn’t prepare anything for you.” Changbin said while frowning.

“Being with you is a present enough already.”

Changbin inhaled sharply.

“It’s a present because I get to tease you 24/7 of course.”

Felix started giggling and Changbin groaned, but he was happy. This had been the best Christmas he had ever had.

・・✦・・

Jisung wolf-whistled.

“Changbin hyung what the hell happened? You look hot as fuck.”

Minho slapped the back of Jisung’s head earning him a yelp from the younger boy.

“Jisung is crude but I have to agree with him. Binnie my love, you have never looked this fine in your life. Like ever.”

“Hm thanks?”

From the end of the room Changbin heard a loud screech.

“Seo Changbin?!”

Changbin turned around and was faced with an open mouthed Hyunjin.

“Merlin’s beard you look amazing.”

“Does that mean I didn’t look amazing before?”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes as he approached the smaller boy.

“You know that that’s not what I mean. You look even more amazing.” Hyunjin ran his hands through Changbin’s undercut while staring at him in amazement.

“Hyunjin, you better watch out or someone will try to snatch Changbin hyung away from you.”

Hyunjin scowled at Jisung’s words.

“I’ll dare them to try.” Hyunjin said while pulling Changbin to his side and planting a wet kiss on his cheek.

“Ew Jinnie.” Changbin said while wipping Hyunjin’s saliva from his face.

Minho made an exaggerated gagging noise.

“You too are disgusting. Anyways, who’s up for a chess match? I missed kicking y’all asses.”

“Ha, you wish hyung. Seungminnie taught me how to play before the break and now I’ll be the one kicking your ass.” Hyunjin said with a confident expression.

“I mean, I’m always up for seeing Minho’s ass getting destroyed.”

“Watch me as I make you eat each and every one of your words Seo Changbin.”

“Aish, stop threatening each other and let’s play! Come here babe.” Jisung said while holding Minho’s hand and dragging him out of their common room which made Minho immediately shut his mouth and start blushing. Changbin and Hyunjin snickered at Minho’s whippedness but decided to follow the two boys to the Great Hall.

They had been playing for over an hour already and to say that Minho was completely destroying Hyunjin would be an understatement.

“Checkmate.”

“Again?!” Hyunjin screeched.

“I think Seungmin went too easy on you. You thought you had learned how to play but he probably just let you win the matches out of pity.” Minho said smugly.

Hyunjin opened his mouth and then he closed it. He scratched his head.

“That actually sounds like something he would do.” Hyunjin admitted grumpily.

Jisung burst out laughing and Hyunjin kicked his shin earning him a glare from the boy.

“See, you still have much to learn little goblin. Let’s go again.”

Changbin watched his friends interacting with an amused expression. They were such a crazy bunch but Changbin loved them with all his heart. It was nice knowing that he had such amazing people he could count on.

Suddenly a loud high pitched laugh at the other side of the room interrupted his thoughts. Changbin raised his head and was surprised to see Felix and a Gryffindor boy he didn’t know talking at the end of the Gryffindor table. Felix was leaning on the boy’s side, laughing at something the boy had showed him on a book that was on the table.

Changbin frowned. He had never seen that boy but he looked awfully close to Felix.

Felix then read something in the book and turned to whisper about it on the unknown boy’s ear who immediately let out another ear ripping laugh. Changbin’s frown deepened.

“Hey hyung, are you ok?”

Changbin turned his head to the side and looked at Jisung.

“Yeah Sungie, I’m ok. Why’d you ask?” Changbin asked while trying to force a smile.

Jisung looked at Changbin and then at where Changbin had been staring. He stared at Changbin again and just shrugged his shoulders, deciding to just let him be, focusing his attention on the chess game again.

Changbin sighed. _Why was he acting so weird lately? Why seeing Felix with someone he didn’t know made him uncomfortable? He was just worried about his friend, right? I mean, there’s some real bad influences around Hogwarts. He was just looking out for him. Yeah, that was most definitely it. He was just being an attentive friend._

With a smile and a nod Changbin drew his attention back to the match.

“Checkmate.”

“Hyung!”

・・✦・・

“Binnie you have to taste this cake.” Hyunjin said excitedly with a huge smile on his face. “Come on, open wide.”

Changbin chuckled while doing what he was asked. Hyunjin then placed a piece of the pink cake he was eating inside of his mouth.

“Did you like it?”

“Hmm, it's really sweet.”

“I know right? Ah, I’ve always wanted to come here, I’m so glad it’s as good as I thought it would be.”

Changbin smiled fondly while looking at his boyfriend. Sometimes Hyunjin really seemed like an over excited ten year old.

They were at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, the most couple appropriate place at Hogsmeade. The overall decoration of the shop was tacky, frilly, covered in bows and extremely cramped. And everything was pink. Hell, it seemed like a fairy had barfed in there. But it was just Hyunjin’s type of thing so Changbin being the good boyfriend that he is agreed accompany him.

Changbin was drinking a black tea and munching on some tiny pumpkin pies, a big contrast from Hyunjin’s pink tea and pink cake.

“Bin, I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Ok Jinnie, I’ll wait for you.”

Hyunjin smiled and happily skipped in the direction of the bathroom. Changbin sighed and decided to look around the shop. A considerable amount of couples were either flirting, feeding each other or kissing. Changbin internally shivered. This place was way too cheesy.

Changbin then heard the tuneful twinkle that announced the entrance of another customer and when he saw who had just entered through the door his jaw almost hit the floor.

Felix and that same Gryffindor boy had just entered the shop with their arms linked.

Changbin just stared at the couple with a disbelieving face. _What the hell. What the fuck. Since when was Felix dating someone? And why didn’t he tell him? Weren’t they supposed to be friends? The absolute betrayal._ An ugly feeling started bubbling in Changbin’s chest.

Changbin stared at them as they went to the counter and Felix ordered something for the both of them. The employee immediately went to prepare their order and the two boys stayed at the counter quietly giggling and whispering to each other. They looked really close and comfortable. The employee came back, interrupting their chat and handing them a bag with their orders. They thanked them and headed out of the shop.

Changbin was still staring at the door with a dumbfounded expression when Hyunjin came back to the table.

“Did you know that Felix is dating someone?”

Hyunjin stared at him incredulously.

“Felix? Dating?”

“Yeah I just saw him enter the shop with his arms linked with a random Gryffindor boy.”

“Oh, I had no idea. What a nice surprise. I’ll ask him about it later.”

Changbin nodded and Hyunjin resumed talking about his week but Changbin wasn't really listening. There was a feeling in his chest that he somehow couldn’t shake. He didn’t know what was wrong with him but he was feeling terrible.

“Binnie, are you ok?”

“Hm actually no Jinnie. I think here’s too cramped. Can we leave?”

“Of course.” Hyunin said with a concerned expression.

They asked for the employee to wrap the rest of their food so that they could eat it later for dinner. Hyunjin asked if he was feeling well enough to look through the shops. Changbin nodded, saying that he was feeling a bit better now.

Hyunjin said that there was a book he needed to buy so they decided to go to Tomes and Scrolls. When they entered the bookshop they were immediately met with familiar faces. Seungmin, Felix and the Gryffindor boy were looking at some scrolls at the entrance of the shop.

“Minnie!” Hyunjin said happily.

“Oh hey Hyunjin, Changbin hyung. What are you guys doing here?” Seungmin inquired while smiling at his friends.

“I came here to buy that book for our Defence Against the Dark Arts class.”

“Oh really? Me too! Do you want to ask the owner for the book with me?”

“Sure! Bin, I’ll be right back.” Hyunjin said already following Seungmin inside the shop, leaving him alone with Felix and the other boy.

“Hey Hyung.” Felix said with a small smile.

“Where are your manners Lix? Aren’t you even going to introduce me to your boyfriend?” Changbin replied.

Both boys in front of him looked at each other and then back at Changbin while bursting out laughing. Changbin was confused.

“Merlin’s beard. You think… you think Chenle here is my boyfriend?” Felix said while wheezing.

“That was the funniest thing I have ever heard in my life.” The boy who Changbin now knew was named Chenle said while gasping for air.

“But… but I don’t understand. Then why were the two of you at Madam Puddifoot’s shop earlier?”

“Wah, Binnie hyung you’re seriously so funny.”

Changbin ruffed and glared at the red haired boy.

“It’s just that me and Chenle have always wanted to taste that special rainbow cake that only Madam Puddifoot makes but we didn’t want to seem like total losers so we went in together to seem like we were a couple.” Felix said while laughing.

“And Merlin it was totally worth it. That cake straight up melts in your mouth.”

“I know right? So freaking good.”

Changbin looked at the interaction in front of him with a disbelieving expression. What a weird pair. Changbin chuckled and then realised that that heavy feeling had finally left his chest. _Weird._

“Hey guys, we’re done here. Anyone up to go to Honeydukes?” Hyunjin said while Seungmin stood next to him.

“Hell yeah, I miss some good old Butterbeer.” Chenle said.

“Let’s go then.”

Seungmin, Hyunjin and Chenle went out first and Felix stayed back to talk to Changbin and tell him about his week. If anyone had noticed Changbin’s smile becoming a bit wider no one commented on it.

・・✦・・

Changbin was having a crisis.

It had been going on for some time already and he didn’t know what to do. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures so he decided to seek help with the closest person he knew who had experience on this matter.

“How do you know when you like someone?”

Minho looked up from the book he was reading and sighed. He put the book away and patted the place next to him for Changbin to sit.

“Why are you asking this?”

“Well, I’m- hmmm.”

Minho sighed again.

“I guess it changes a bit for each person but if I had to establish a pattern the most objective answer would be that you never stop thinking about them. Basically when they are around you’re always happier and you constantly have a weird feeling on your stomach, like there’s someone squeezing your organs from inside. And of course, your heart beats faster and you blush more often than not when they’re around.”

Changbin nodded, absorbing Minho’s words. It made sense. He had never really felt that with Hyunjin. He felt the same thing with Hyunjin as what he felt when was with any of his friends. _Well except for… No, that’s too crazy._

“Binnie, you know that I’ll always be here for you and you can tell me anything, right?”

“Of course I do hyung.”

Minho gave him a pointed look.

“I promise if anything happens I’ll come to you.”

Minho looked pensively at ceiling. “Ok Binnie, is there anything else you need?”

“No hyung but thanks a lot.” Changbin said while looking at his friend gratefully but with a whirlwind of emotions inside of his chest. He now knew what he had to do but that didn't mean he was any happy about it. _This was going to be a mess._

・・✦・・

“Hyunjin we need to talk.”

Hyunjin was seated on one of the leather sofas at their Common room while writing something on a paper.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Hyunjin asked lightly while finishing to write a word. Changbin seated silently next to him.

Hyunjin’s face fell when he looked at Changbin’s expression.

“What’s wrong Binnie?”

“I-” Changbin cleared his throat, trying to find a less hurtful way to say this. “Well it’s, hm…”

Hyunjin looked at him patiently.

“We need to break up.” _Yikes._ So much for not being harsh.

Hyunjin lowered his head.

“Ok.” Hyunjin said quietly.

“Wait what?” Changbin asked with confusion written in his features.

“I mean sure.” Hyunjin said while shrugging.

“But I just broke up with you? Aren’t you going to scream at me or punch me or something?”

“Nah, I kinda saw it coming if I’m being honest.”

That took Changbin by surprise.

“What?”

“Changbin I’m not stupid you know.” Hyunjin said while laughing humorlessly and still not looking at him.

Changbin didn't know what he meant by that.

“I agreed to go study with Seungmin so… See you later Changbin hyung.” Hyunjin said while grabbing his things and quickly leaving the room.

Well that had been awful. But less dramatic than he had expected it to be.

He didn’t want to hurt Hyunjin but he had had to do this.

Changbin just felt like their relationship wasn’t leading anywhere. There wasn’t anything wrong with it but there also wasn’t anything really right.

Even though that had been the right thing to do Changbin still felt awful. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to look at his friend’s face again. He really hoped he would never have to break up with anyone ever again. What a terrible fucking experience.

・・✦・・

“I broke up with Hyunjin.”

Felix lowered his wand and sighed.

“Yeah… Minnie told me. That sucks.”

“Oh.”

“Do you mind me asking what happened? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to though.”

“No, it’s ok Lix. Nothing much happened. I just felt like we were never really a couple.”

Felix raised an eyebrow.

“It just seemed like we were a pair of friends that sometimes kissed and I thought that that was what it meant to be in a relationship. What it meant to like someone romantically, you know.”

Changbin took in a deep breath.

“Now I feel so shitty though, I wish I had never asked him to be my boyfriend. I can’t even look at him in the eye. I basically lost a friend and for such a stupid reason.”

Felix swayed his head to indicate that he was listening.

“And now Jisung and Seungmin aren’t really talking to me as well and the nine of us haven’t hung out properly in so long, I just feel like I fucked up so bad.” Changbin said with a choked up voice while staring at the floor.

Felix raised himself from where he was sitting and plopped down next to Changbin. He held Changbin’s hand.

“First of all you shouldn’t be blaming yourself for this. If you didn’t feel like being in a relationship anymore you did the best thing you could and you broke it off before it could get worse or more painful. Secondly, I know it may seem like the end of the world now but I’m sure the two of you will figure it out. Your friendship is way stronger than this little bump and our other friends will eventually come around as well, it’s just an awkward phase but I can assure you it’ll pass.” Felix said while looking at him.

Changbin let out a long breath. His heart was constricting for reasons he didn’t want to think about.

“Thanks Lix you’re a really good friend.”

Felix’s smile fell a little.

“No problem hyung, I will always be here for you.”

・・✦・・

He and Hyunjin were still extremely awkward and there was always a weird tension hanging in the air whenever they were in the same room. Their group didn’t eat together anymore and their friends just watched without being able to do anything about it. Changbin felt like the worst person in the world.

Since his mood had been so down lately, Felix suggested that they went out for a walk around Hogwarts so that Changbin could try to get his mind out of the Hyunjin situation at least for a while.

It was a Sunday afternoon and they were walking around Hogwarts talking about nothing and everything. They had been to almost all floors of the castle and now they were walking through the Wooden bridge.

Felix suddenly stopped when they reached the middle of the bridge.

“This is my favorite hour of the day. I love seeing the sun slowly disappearing behind the hills.”

Felix walked to the side of the bridge and leaned against the wooden railing, staring at the scenery.

“Look, that’s where it all started Binnie.” Felix said while pointing at the Forbidden forest.

Changbin snorted. “Don’t even remind me of that.”

Felix laughed lightly and continued to lazily point out places and remember memories that they had made those past months.

Changbin stopped and stared at his friend’s face. Felix expression was soft. He was carrying a light smile and laughing in a carefree way when he remembered a funny memory which made his eyes crinkle on the side. His golden features were being illuminated by the last sun beams and his hair was burning bright red.

He was glowing.

He was beautiful.

Felix then turned his head and caught Changbin’s gaze. They were now motionlessly staring at each other. A light breeze that was blowing was messing Felix’s locks making him look even softer.

Changbin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

_Wow._

Without really thinking about it Changbin placed his right hand on Felix’s cheek and joined their lips together in a soft kiss. Changbin’s chest exploded with happiness. He had never felt this euphoric. He slowly leaned away and stared at Felix who had a glazed look in his eyes.

_What the fuck did he just do._

Changbin started panicking.

“Chang-”

Fuck fuck fuck fuck. He needed to get away. What was he thinking? Now Felix was going to hate him too. He was such a dumbass. Without letting Felix finish, Changbin bolted out of the scene leaving the red haired boy with a hurt expression standing alone in the middle of the bridge.

・・✦・・

“I kissed Felix.”

“Oh really? About time.” Minho said without looking up from his book.

Changbin stood confused in front of the older boy.

“What do you mean it was about time what the hell Minho.”

A beat of silence.

“Binnie, you’re extremely easy to read and I’m your best friend. Put two plus two together”

“That’s-” Changbin sighed deciding not to argue with the other boy.

“So you kissed him, and then what?”

“Then I ran away.”

That made Minho lift his head.

“You did what Seo Changbin?!” Minho screamed at him.

“Calm down hyung, stop screaming!” Changbin shouted back, contradicting his own words but he didn't care.

Minho closed his mouth but was still glaring at him.

“It’s just that I’m still not sure how to feel, I mean, I literally just broke up with Hyunjin I’m so confused about my feelings like what am I even supposed to d-“

Suddenly Minho grabbed Chagbin’s face and crashed their lips together in a kiss.

Changbin’s brain stopped working. In no universe would he ever think he would be in this situation at this moment. His eyes were blown wide and he was staring at Minho’s lids as the boy moved his lips over Changbin’s ones.

A few seconds passed and Minho pulled away.

Changbin blinked, mouth hanging open.

“What did that make you feel?” Minho asked casually as if he hadn’t just grabbed Changbin’s face and kissed him.

Changbin blinked again and snapped out of his reverie.

“What the fuck did you just do?! Are you insane?! You're dating Jisung! What the hell?!” Changbin was having a breakdown. There was no way this had just happened. His best friend had just kissed him. And he was acting totally cool about it.

“Merlin’s beard Changbin, just answer my damn question: what did that make you feel?”

Changbin was going insane. That must be it.

Minho grabbed Changbin’s face again making the smaller boy stare straight at him.

“Changbin, what did that make you feel? Objectively.”

Changbin took in a breath and tried to calm down. He was only going to get answers if he answered his friend first so he decided to stop and actually contemplate about what Minho had just asked him.

“I mean, your lips are nice but other than that nothing much. Just a lot of confusion, why?”

Minho nodded his head curtly.

“And what did you feel when you kissed Felix?”

Changbin’s breath hitched.

Oh.

“And there’s your answer.”

・・✦・・

Even after Minho’s very unorthodox way of making Changbin realise his feelings for Felix, Changbin still hadn’t talked to the boy in question.

He was scared.

He was so fucking scared.

These months of being Felix’s friend had been the best ones in his life and he couldn’t stand the thought of Felix going back to hating him so he started avoiding the boy.

Changbin only hung out with Wooyoung nowadays. He was Changbin’s closest friend that wasn’t part of his established little clique. Merlin, he missed them all so much. Don’t get him wrong, he loved Wooyoung more than anything but he missed talking to his other friends.

He missed Chan’s bright presence. He missed Seungmin’s witty remarks and Jisung’s constant teasing. He missed Jeonginnie’s wide smile that always made everything better and Minho’s constant presence that always confronted him. He missed Hyunjin being his friend. And hell did he miss Felix.

But he couldn't think about this. Because he had ruined everything. He had to forget about the other boy.

Today he had arranged to hang out with Wooyoung after his potions class. From the timetable Wooyoung had given him, there was still half an hour of his dance club meeting left so Changbin decided to head to the room where the Hufflepuff boy was so that he could wait for him.

When Changbin arrived he noticed that the door of the room was open so he decided to enter it quietly. It seemed like there was some sort of performance happening. Changbin then caught a glimpse of a bright red hair on stage and stopped dead on his feet, his heart beating wildly.

Felix was standing alone in the center of the stage with a single light focusing on him. He was wearing a simple white shirt with linen pants. He looked like an angel.

Suddenly, a mellow song started playing and Felix started to move.

Changbin had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. Felix’s movements were strong yet soft, he danced through the stage like he was as light as a plume. It was so gracious and yet it transmitted such a powerful feeling. Changbin had never seen Felix dance and he was absolutely astonished with how good the younger boy was.

Felix jumped and did a spin suddenly stopping. He was staring straight at the audience.

The moment his eyes met Changbin’s, Changbin saw Felix’s stage expression crumble as a gasp left his mouth. Changbin panicked. This was too much. Completely forgetting about Wooyoung, Changbin ran out of the room without looking back.

・・✦・・

Two weeks had passed since the incident and Changbin hadn’t had any other risky encounters with Felix.

Their friends were all still worried about him but he wasn’t ready go back to talking to them yet. Nowadays he only talked to Minho during Quidditch practices while Jisung stayed with Hyunjin. It was painfully awkward to say the least.

One thing that Changbin didn’t understand though is why Minho was being so unusually quiet about this whole situation. Changbin thought that the other boy would already have forced him to get his shit together but Minho was being rather patient.

They had just wrapped up their weekly Quidditch training and Changbin was finishing changing by himself in the cloakroom. He took out his dirty shirt to put on a clean one when suddenly he heard the door of the room closing with a bang.

“Minho, is that you?”

“No it is me.”

Changbin’s breath hitched.

“How did you get in here Felix?” Changbin asked with a wavering voice.

“Minho let me in. We need to talk. You’ve been avoiding me.” Felix said while stepping closer to Changbin who now had his back to his locker.

“I have? I didnt even realise-“

“Cut the crap Changbin we both know that that’s not true.”

Changbin gulped once again, his back now hitting the locker from how close Felix was standing.

“You kissed me Changbin. You kissed me and then you ran away. You didn’t even give me a chance to reply.”

Changbin held his breath as Felix stood in front of him. He was sure the boy was going to slap him. Or jinx him.

Suddenly Changbin felt a pair of soft lips on his.

His brain started malfunctioning.

There was no way this was happening. Not even in his wildest dreams would he ever dare to think that Felix would ever kiss him.

Even though Changbin’s mind was going insane, his body however decided to almost automatically react to what was happening. Changbin opened his lips, deepening their kiss. He ran his hands through Felix’s sides and placed them on his waist, pressing him against his bare chest. It felt like there were fireworks exploding in his stomach. He had never felt anything like it.

Felix leaned away while trying to catch his breath.

_Fuck that had been amazing._

_Wait._

“Wait, why did you kiss me? You like me?!?”

“At this point I don’t even know why but yes Binnie, I like you.”

“Oh that’s good, hm, because I like you too.”

Felix let out an exasperated laugh and leaned in again.


	4. so i won’t take you for granted because you loved me as i am

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is an epilogue and now this story's timeline is lined up with the [seungjin fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22615351) in this series! if you haven't read gmtlw yet and you plan on reading it, read it before this chapter! 
> 
> [chapter title inspiration](https://open.spotify.com/track/6MC0anRfGPzSWrvybgsY7O?si=RGiU6PyITkK_8j_X6X_wV)

“Where are you taking me Bin?”

“We’re almost there Lix, just a few more steps.” Changbin whispered as he guided his boyfriend through the stairs. “Ok, we’re here. You can look up.” Changbin said as he removed the blindfold from Felix’s eyes.

Felix gasped.

“It’s beautiful Binnie.” The boy gawked at the starry sky, the light of the moon reflected on his eyes.

“Yeah, it really is.” Changbin answered, his eyes fixed on his boyfriend’s face.

Felix turned his head to say something and saw Changbin already staring back at him.

“Out of all the constellations in the sky the most beautiful one is right here.” Changbin said while placing his hands on Felix’s cheeks, lightly tracing the boy’s freckles with his fingers.

“Ugh Changbin stop being so cheesy.” Felix groaned as he hit his boyfriend’s arm, trying to hide the blush that was starting to spread on his cheeks.

“What? It’s true, you’re beautiful.” Changbin replied while giggling at his boyfriend’s flustered state. He was way too cute.

Felix stared at him for a second, fondness taking over his features. He then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Changbin’s waist, tilting his head down to plant a gentle kiss on his boyfriend's lips.

“I love you.” Felix whispered. “Thank you so much for making our first anniversary so special.”

Today marked one year since he and Felix had become official, it was insane how fast time had passed. Changbin decided to surprise Felix with a night picnic date at the Astronomy tower since eating and looking at the sky were two of the things the Gryffindor boy loved to do the most. Changbin had spent countless nights preparing this surprise since he wanted it to be extremely memorable for his boyfriend; with the help of Minho and Jisung, Changbin managed to put together a small basket full of Felix’s favorite foods and drinks (he even managed to smuggle in some of the rainbow cake the other boy was obsessed with from Madam Puddifoot).

This last year had been the best one in Changbin’s life yet, he had never felt happier. He wanted to hit his past self for not getting his shit together faster, the old Changbin honestly had no idea what he had been missing out on. Dating Felix was definitely one of the best things he could have asked for, the other boy made all his days brighter and worthwhile.

Changbin sighed fondly and placed his hands on Felix’s cheeks, tilting the boy’s head down and kissing his forehead.

“I love you too Lix.” Changbin said while looking into his boyfriend’s eyes.

“What did I do to have such a perfect boyfriend?” Felix jokingly groaned while covering his face with his hands, trying to hide how red it had become.

“I know, I know, I’m amazing.” Changbin teasingly replied.

Felix hit Changbin’s arm again, a bit harder this time, making the older let out a yelp.

“One thing that I don’t get though is how you managed to open the Astronomy tower, _“Alohomora”_ doesn't work on this door.”

“And you know that because?” Changbin asked with a snort.

“That’s... unimportant. So, how did you do it?” Felix curiously inquired.

“Well, being friends with two prefects sure has its perks.” Changbin said while grinning.

“Oh Merlin, I’ll have to thank Chan and Yugyeom hyung later.”

After the whole mess that happened last year, their friend group managed to slowly go back to normal, well, as normal as it could get when two exes were a part of it. Changbin and Hyunjin were still awkward with each other but at least now it was bearable. They didn’t really talk or anything but they also didn’t hate each other, it was just weird. The thing is Changbin still felt very guilty for having led Hyunjin on and he didn’t know how to get over that sentiment.

“No need, they were more than happy to help. They even said, and I quote ‘we would do anything to see young love blossoming’.” Changbin finished with a terrible interpretation of Chan’s voice.

“Why are the two of them so old?”

“I ask myself that everyday. Anyways, let’s sit down, I didn’t bring this blanket for nothing.” Changbin stated while opening said blanket and placing it on the floor so that the two of them could comfortably lie down.

“I’m just so glad things have been working out, I mean, I even managed to make your parents like me and I was absolutely terrified about meeting them.” Felix said with a chuckle as he seated next to Changbin who was laying out on the floor the foods he had brought.

_Ah, that was another thing that had happened._

Changbin had finally told his parents he had broken up with Hyunjin and had started dating Felix. His parents were surprised since they had taken quite a liking on Hyunjin but they were happy to see that he was dating another nice and polite Slytherin boy. Yeah… so that’s the thing, Changbin hadn’t told his parents Felix’s house and they just assumed the boy was a Slytherin. Changbin didn’t have it in him to correct them so he just let them be.

The problem was that Felix didn’t know that his parents didn’t know his house. The boy had met them during vacation and they had absolutely adored him. Changbin didn’t want to break this perfect bubble that had been created, his parents loved Felix but if they knew the boy’s real house their opinion definitely would change.

Felix even started sending monthly update letters to his mom, his boyfriend making every possible effort for his parents to like him. Things were so good right now that Changbin just thought that he could keep pushing this small white lie until they graduated. He knew that that was a shit plan but at the moment that was all that he had.

“Did you send my mom a letter this month already?”

“I sent it yesterday.” Felix answered and then suddenly they heard a growling sound.

“Hungry much?” Changbin asked with a giggle.

“I mean, you told me not to eat at dinner of course I’m hungry!” Felix whined.

Changbin chuckled and reached out to grab a small bowl full of strawberries in front of him. Felix’s face brightened.

“Strawberries! I love them Binnie, thank you so much!” Felix exclaimed while extending his arms to grab the bowl.

“Nu uh.” Changbin chastised as he put the bowl away from Felix’s reach.

“Binnie, don’t be mean, I’m hungry!”

“I know love, come here.” Changbin said while pointing at the vacant space between his legs.

Felix scrambled forward, sitting where Changbin had pointed and leaned his back on his boyfriend’s chest.

“Open wide.” Changbin said while taking a strawberry from the bowl and swinging it in front of Felix’s face.

Felix blushed.

“Bin, I’m not a kid.” Felix crossed his arms while pouting sulkily.

Changbin chuckled.

“I know love, can’t I just feed my adorable boyfriend some strawberries?”

Felix sighed and opened his mouth. Changbin led the strawberry to the other boy’s mouth who took a satisfied bite, almost taking Changbin’s finger in the process.

“Yah! I’m not food Lix!” Changbin screamed while holding his finger away from the Gryffindor’s mouth, making sure all his members were still there.

“Then why are you so delicious?” Felix replied while looking up and winking at his boyfriend.

Changbin stared at the boy on his chest for three seconds before starting to make gagging noises while Felix burst out laughing.

“Imagine what our past selves would think if they saw us like this.” Felix managed to say after they calmed down.

“I would probably think I went insane to be dating you.”

“Hey!”

“It’s true though, it blows my mind how immature we were, like, we actually threw hands.” Changbin said with a snort.

“Merlin’s beard, it seemed like we were in a drama, the things we said to each other came straight from a novel script or something.” Felix giggled.

Changbin sighed as he recalled his first encounters with his boyfriend. Most times he couldn’t believe those things had actually happened, he cringed a lot when he remembered how childish he was. Changbin unconsciously tightened his grip around Felix who in return snuggled closer to his chest.

“Oh my, Binnie! A shooting star!” Felix screamed excitedly.

“Make a wish Lix.”

Felix became quiet and closed his eyes. A few moments later he opened them with a soft smile.

“What did you wish for Lix?”

“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.” Felix said while sticking his tongue out playfully.

Changbin rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe I’m dating a literal kid.”

At that Felix let out an indignant “hey!” while pushing Changbin away who fell backwards with an “ouch”. Felix scrambled forward with a concerned expression to check on his boyfriend’s state but then suddenly Changbin grabbed Felix’s collar, making the younger boy ungraciously fall against his chest, their faces just a few inches away from each other. Felix’s eyes widened as a smirk made its way to Changbin’s face.

“See? A kid.” Changbin snickered.

_“Shut up.”_ Felix grumpily replied.

_“Make me.”_ Changbin whispered in return.

Felix softly smiled as he registered the familiar dialogue, even though the circumstances they were in right now were far different from when they had last said those words. Without wasting anymore time Felix finally lowered himself, pressing his lips against the Slytherin’s. Changbin grinned on the younger’s mouth who let a pleased sigh in return, completely melting on his boyfriend’s embrace.

If they spent the rest of the night like that it didn’t matter, the eyebags that they were both carrying the next day were definitely worth it.

・・✦・・

Changbin was waiting for Felix’s lesson to finish like he always did, standing with his back against the wall next to the door of the Potions class.

“Hi Changbin hyung.” Changbin heard a nasally voice calling him and was surprised to see Seungmin approaching him with a smile.

“Seungminie? What are you doing here?” Changbin asked raising his head. This was weird, Changbin was pretty sure the younger boy had classes on the other side of castle at this hour.

“Same as you.” Changbin was left confused at that, Felix hadn’t told him Seungmin was going to be joining them for lunch but that wasn’t a problem since Changbin enjoyed the Ravenclaw’s company.

“Ah, are you waiting for Felix?” Changbin asked because that was what he was doing here. Seungmin was about to reply when the door of the classroom opened and a flood of students started coming out.

After a few moments Hyunjin and Felix emerged from the crowd of people, talking amongst themselves. Felix spotted Changbin and gave him a wide smile, Changbin smiled back just as brightly. Hyunjin detached himself from Felix’s side and skipped towards Seungmin.

“Hey love.” Hyunjin said right before pecking Seungmin’s lips and intertwining their hands.

_What. The fuck._

“Oh, hey Changbin hyung!” Changbin tilted his head in a greeting, still a bit winded from the sudden information that had just been disclosed.

So Seungmin and Hyunjin were dating? What an interesting pair. Actually, now that Changbin thought about it somehow that revelation wasn’t as shocking as he had expected it to be. That was actually so strangely fitting. Changbin was really happy for them.

“Bye Lix! See you later!” Hyunjin said while waving at the couple and pulling Seungmin along by his hand.

Changbin looked at the two figures disappearing through the corridor as his smile widened. This had been the first non awkward interaction Hyunjin and him had had in a long time. He was so relieved? Somehow seeing Hyunjin finding someone that he could be happy with comforted Changbin’s troubled mind, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from his chest.

“Did you just see what I just saw?” Felix turned to Changbin with his mouth agape in shock.

“Yup.” Changbin laughed.

“That bastard spent a whole hour with me and he didn’t even care to mention that he’s now dating Seungmin?! And Seungmin, my best friend, also didn’t say a thing!!! Merlin’s beard, the absolute betrayal... it really be the ones you call your friends huh.”

Changbin let out a loud laugh at his boyfriend’s dramatism.

“Relax Lix, this is probably still very new for them, I’m sure Seungmin will tell you all the juicy details later.”

“He better or I’m resigning his best friend card.”

“But I thought I was your best friend.” Changbin complained with a pout.

Felix snorted.

“You’re literally my boyfriend Binnie, stop being petty.” Felix said as he grabbed Changbin’s hand, bringing him closer. “Now let’s gooo, I’m starving.”

Changbin just smiled as he let his boyfriend drag him to the Great Hall.

・・✦・・

After they ate, both boys didn’t have any afternoon classes so they decided to just chill at the edge of the Black Lake since the weather was nice. Felix was lying on a rock, enjoying the nice breeze that was blowing while Changbin was playing skipping stone, trying to succeed on making the stones bounce three times on the water’s surface.

“Bin.” Felix said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen upon the pair.

Changbin hummed in return to show that he was listening.

“Do you know what are you going to do after you graduate?”

Changbin stopped himself from tossing the stone on his hand, taken aback by the question. This was actually a topic Changbin didn’t really like to think about. He had many things that he would like to do after he graduated but he knew that those were far fetched dreams, his parents had already decided from the moment he was born that he would work on their hospital and that he would eventually take their position as the owner when they resigned.

“I think I’ll just work on my parents Hospital. Probably on management or something.” Changbin said after a while.

“But what do you really want to do?” Felix had raised his body and was now sitting at the rock while staring at the Slytherin.

Changbin sighed, Felix knew him too well.

“Honestly? I wanted to be a teacher. Here in Hogwarts. I wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts or Potions. I’m not picky. I just don’t see myself doing the same job as my parents, but it’s not like that’s the worst job in the world, it just isn’t really what I want.” Changbin ranted while finally throwing the stone on his hand which sank immediately as it hit the water’s surface. Changbin frowned.

“Binnie if that’s what you really want then that’s what you should do. You should be allowed to live a happy life.”

“But my parents would never approve Lix.” Changbin mumbled sadly.

“I’m sure that if you talk to them they’ll understand Bin.” Felix smiled encouragingly.

_Oh, but they wouldn’t._

“What about you?” Changbin asked trying to divert the attention away from him, but at the same time being genuinely curious about his boyfriend’s dreams.

“I want to perform Bin. I feel the most alive when I’m on stage. I know it’s not an easy path but it’s what I know I was born to do.” Felix confessed with a dreamy look on his eyes.

Changbin stared at Felix’s face, a feeling of adoration taking over his chest.

“Imagine, you being a teacher here at Hogwarts and me performing weekly concerts on Diagonal Alley. Us two living together, in a nice house not too far from the city but also near a lot of nature where we could always have a beautiful view. Can you imagine that?”

“I can Lix. I can only imagine a future with you in it.”

Felix smiled brightly at him, a blush gracing his cheeks. Changbin then crouched down to pick up a small grey stone, he got up and turned around while raising his arm and throwing the stone that bounced three times on the water’s surface before sinking. Changbin smiled widely as Felix tackled him with a hug.

・・✦・・

Today was Saturday and their captain Tzuyu had decided to book an extra Quidditch training session since they were going to have an official game against Hufflepuff next week. The whole team was lazily stretching before practice started, not really in the mood to exercise on a Saturday morning. Changbin was sitting down, trying to reach for his toes when he heard Minho letting out a grunt from above him. Changbin looked up and saw the elder staring at something in the distance while stretching his neck with his hand. Changbin turned his head to look at what Minho was staring at and saw Seungmin and Hyunjin on the grass talking quietly.

“I don't buy it.” Minho suddenly said.

“What?” Jisung asked while turning to look at the boy as he stretched his arm.

“Their relationship. I don’t buy it.” Minho shrugged his shoulders.

“What the hell? What do you mean you don’t buy it?” Changbin asked with a frown.

“It was too sudden, it doesn’t make sense.” Minho said as a matter of fact.

“Stop being paranoid hyung, just because you didn’t see it coming doesn’t mean it isn’t real.” Changbin retorted.

“There’s just something about it that’s not sitting right with me. I’ll go interrogate them.”

Changbin rolled his eyes.

“Ok you can go by yourself.”

“Always the boring one, Jisung come with me.” Minho said while dragging the other boy by the arm leaving Changbin to watch the mess that was going to unfold.

Minho stopped next to the couple who was sitting on the grass and said something that made Seungmin look up with a frown. Changbin chuckled. Seungmin’s relationship with Minho was one of the funniest and most chaotic things ever, the two of them made quite a pair. If you didn’t know them you would think they were mortal enemies but in reality they were extremely close.

Hyunjin was now glaring at Minho who had apparently said something that had upset him. Hyunjin then turned his head to say something to Seungmin who immediately became flustered. Changbin wondered what was happening. A few seconds later Hyunjin leaned forward and kissed the flustered boy.

Oh my, that was so sweet.

When Hyunjin broke the kiss he looked at Seungmin with so much love that it was almost blinding. Seungmin on the other hand looked like he had just been run by a truck but he was also very much smitten. Changbin grinned, seeing the Ravenclaw being so flustered was really new to him and he was loving it. He couldn’t wait to tease the hell out of his friend.

Changbin had no idea why Minho was being suspicious for, the older boy was too paranoid sometimes. It was clearer than day that the couple was very much in love with each other. A few moments later Changbin saw Minho smacking the back of Hyunjin’s head as he left the scene with Jisung on his toll.

“I’m still not a 100% convinced but yeah I can't deny that they are cute together.”

“Aish just stop being nosy hyung, let them be.” Changbin chided.

“It’s just a feeling, but maybe I’m wrong. Whatever.”

“Hey guys, what are you talking about?” The group heard Hyunjin ask, who had quietly approached them from behind.

Jisung yelped as he fell back on his butt while the two oldests just stared at the tall boy with panicked expressions.

“Just some strategy stuff.” Minho replied smoothly.

“Ah, fill me in then!” Hyunjin said with an easy-going smile.

“It’s nothing new but did you see the History of Magic’s teacher new hair? Now that was something.” Minho then went on about the monstrosity that was the teacher’s new hairstyle, managing to distract Hyunjin who was now listening attentively to the older boy. Changbin let out a relieved sigh. Trust Minho to be the smoothest person ever.

They had been talking for a while, their topic of conversation having changed multiple times already. Changbin loved talking with his friends, it always made him so happy. It seemed like it had been such a long time since he had actually caught up with Hyunjin on trivialities like this.

Changbin was now telling them about an embarrassing situation Felix had gone through yesterday.

“And then Lix went on about how Professor Do was never on time and how unprofessional that was but it turned out Professor Do was right behind him and had heard everything he said, so that’s why he’s on detention right now.”

Hyunjin let out a loud laugh. Changbin missed being this carefree next to him, it seemed like they were finally ok. It was so nice having Hyunjin back as a friend.

“Guys, Minnie is taking pics!” Minho exclaimed and all three boys turned to the direction the older was signalling. Sure enough Seungmin was pointing his camera at them so the group started doing multiple funny poses, making Seungmin laugh and snap many pictures.

After a while Tzuyu called them over so that the team could start the practice. They trained for over an hour and only stopped because the Hufflepuff team arrived, claiming it was their time to practice. The captain then called the team over and told them to rest for the weekend.

Changbin saw Hyunjin heading to the changing room and ran a bit so that he could catch up and talk with the younger.

“Good practice today Hyunjin.” Changbin said as a greeting.

“Thanks Binnie, you were amazing at the hoops.” Hyunjin smiled.

“So, you and Minnie huh?”

Hyunjin looked down shyly.

“Yeah…”

“You two look really cute together, I’m really happy for you.”

Hyunjin looked up with a bright smile.

“I’m happy too, I like him a lot hyung.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Changbin said while patting Hyunjin’s back.

The younger then stepped forward, opening the changing room’s door. Changbin heard a shrill scream coming from Hyunjin’s mouth before he could register what was happening.

“Oh fuck! What the bloody hell?!” Changbin screamed as he saw the scene in front of him. Minho was on his knees with his mouth attached to Jisung’s naked chest.

“Ah, so you two can be disgusting with your boyfriends and I can’t?” Jisung scoffed.

“Not in the quidditch changing room, you nasty fucks!" Hyunjin screamed, sounding absolutely disgusted.

“Aish, ok you prudes.” Minho said while getting up. Changbin then threw a towel at Minho’s head who just gave him a death stare as he turned around and grabbed a sock, throwing it at the younger boy in retaliation. After that hell broke loose as the group started a war of throwing things at each other that went on until they heard Yeri screaming at them from the outside of the door for them cut it out. The four boys finished changing while quietly giggling and teasing each other. Changbin hadn’t felt this light in a long time.

・・✦・・

After Changbin left the changing room he went to meet Felix at the Great Hall so that they could go to Hogsmeade. The other boy still had his uniform on since he didn’t want to waste time going back to his Common room to change it to casual clothes. On their way to the village Felix told Chagbin about how his detention had went and how he had had to clean the whole trophy room by himself.

When they arrived they immediately went to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop to buy Felix his favorite rainbow cake since the boy needed some cheering up after the tiring morning. The couple then decided to walk around and look at the shops while talking and just enjoying each other’s company. Felix was feeding Changbin some bits of the cake while making some cute noises. If Changbin had seen anyone else doing that he would have thought it was disgusting but since it was Felix doing it he thought it was the most adorable thing ever.

“Bin! Let’s take a picture!” Felix exclaimed when they passed in front of a stand with cute spring decorations that had a photographer taking some professional shots. Felix paid the photographer for three pics and pulled Changbin to pose in front of the decorations.

On the first picture Felix threw an arm around Changbin’s shoulder, holding him close while the two boys smiled widely at the camera. On the next one Changbin turned his head and kissed Felix’s cheek, making the Gryffindor let out a delighted giggle. On the last pic Felix turned his head around and captured Changbin’s lips in a soft kiss, they parted while staring lovingly at each other. They heard another click of the camera.

“You two just looked so cute I couldn’t help myself. You can have this last picture for free.” The photographer cooed with a smile. The couple thanked him profusely and left the stand so that the next client could have their turn.

“Bin, what do you think about sending the first pic to your parents? I’m sure they’ll be happy.”

“Oh sure.” Changbin nodded absentmindedly.

“Let’s go to the post office then.” Felix said while heading to the place where the Hogsmeade post office was. When they arrived Felix grabbed some paper, a quill and some ink to write a quick a letter to his parents that would accompany the picture. They then left the establishment and Changbin suggested for the two of them to head to the Three Broomsticks to grab a drink.

“Felix! Changbin!” The pair turned around and saw Jisung and Minho coming in their direction.

“Hey guys!” Felix greeted them.

“Me and Minho were heading to the Three Broomsticks, wanna join?”

“Oh, we were also headed there, let’s go!”

The group walked to the bar while Changbin recounted the mess that had happened on the changing room earlier while Minho vehemently denied everything Changbin said, claiming that the other boy was exaggerating. When the group arrived at the Three Broomsticks they opened the big wooden door, entering the place that seemed to be noisier than usual. They then saw a commotion that was happening in the middle of the room and realised that it was their group of friends.

“What in the name of Merlin are you guys doing?” Minho asked interrupting the chaos.

“Seungmin and Hyunjin are dating!” Jeongin exclaimed.

“Ah, so you only found out about it now. Then the chaos makes sense. Well, make some space for us too then. I think only Jisung heard the whole story.” Minho said while gesturing for Hyunjin to move to the side.

Minho and Jisung seated next to Hyunjin and Seungmin at one side of the table while Changbin and Felix seated next to Yugyeom, Chan and Jeongin at the other side.

“Spill.” Minho said looking at Hyunjin and Seungmin.

Hyunjin recited the whole confession story saying how he had confessed after Quidditch practice which reminded Changbin how he and Felix had gotten together, making him chuckle internally. Everyone cooed at the couple and congratulated them.

“Congrats guys, really, I’m so happy for you two.” Changbin said and Felix nodded, showing that he shared the sentiment. Hyunjin smiled gratefully at them.

“So guys, today there’s going to be a party at the Gryffindor Common room. Are you guys coming?” Chan asked.

“Uh, is it even a party if Lee Minho isn’t there? Of course I’m coming.” Minho said scoffing.

Chan rolled his eyes at Minho’s lack of bashfulness.

“Me and Minnie are also coming.”

“Same here.” Felix said while smiling and holding Changbin’s arm.

Their conversation then continued to flow smoothly and upon finishing their drinks, they all decided to head back to Hogwarts to get ready for the party.

・・✦・・

Changbin was sitting on the floor of Minho’s room, waiting the older boy to finish getting ready so that they could head to the party. Hyunjin and Jisung decided to go ahead of them since Minho was taking too long but Changbin decided to wait after a lot of whining from Minho’s part. When Minho finally emerged from the bathroom Changbin let out a relieved sigh and hurried the other boy so that they could finally go to the Gryffindor’s Common room.

When the two arrived Minho immediately went to the dance floor to ‘show these bitches how it is done’, leaving Changbin to wander through the room by himself. Changbin looked around trying to spot his boyfriend and saw a bright red dot in the middle of the crowd. Changbin chuckled and headed straight to it.

“Hey Lix.”

Felix turned around and smiled at him. He pecked him on the lips and moved away, finally giving Changbin the chance to take a good look at his boyfriend’s outfit. Felix was wearing a fluffy orange sweater with a flowy yellow skirt that looked absolutely adorable on him.

“Merlin’s beard, you look amazing.”

Felix giggled and winked at him.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Felix said while holding Changbin’s waist. Changbin had styled his hair a bit but his outfit was quite simple compared to Felix’s, he was wearing a white shirt that had some designs with a black jacket. Minho had also convinced Changbin to let him apply some smoky eyeshadow to his eyelids after a lot of insistence. “Want to grab something to drink?”

“Sure.”

The two boys then headed to the table where the drinks were being served. Chan was there pouring himself some punch so Felix and Changbin joined the older for a while until the group spotted Yugyeom entering the Common room. With a dumbstruck expression on his face, Chan said goodbye to the couple while going to greet the Hufflepuff boy. Changbin and Felix giggled at their friend’s whipedness and decided to just continue lazing around the drinks table by themselves, stealing some occasional kisses and just talking and giggling at everything and nothing at all.

At some point in the night Felix spotted Minho and Hyunjin on the dance floor. The Gryffindor looked at Changbin, a question in his eyes if the older boy wanted to dance. Since Changbin wasn’t too fond of dance floors he shook his head but insisted that Felix joined their friends, saying that he would be watching him from far. Felix then smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek, excitedly heading to the dance floor to join his friends

Changbin was watching Felix dance from afar, admiring his boyfriend’s performance. He was such an amazing dancer, even in the dim lighting of the Common room Felix shined. It was mesmerizing, his boyfriend never failed to take his breath away. After dancing for a long time Felix came out of the crowd sweating but with a big smile on his face.

“Let’s get out of here Binnie.”

Felix held Changbin’s hand as he led him to the Common Room’s door. When they stepped outside however they were immediately greeted by a very intimate scene.

Seungmin and Hyunjin were furiously making out against one of the walls.

“Merlin’s beard!” Felix screamed interrupting their friend’s kiss. Seungmin and Hyunjin scrambled away from each other.

“Oh my, we didn’t mean to interrupt you guys.” Felix said a bit awkwardly, the two boys were looking mortified. Yikes.

“You two love birds can continue.” Changbin said while smiling teasingly, trying to lighten up the mood. He then held Felix’s hand and lead his boyfriend down the stairs.

“Use protection.” Felix shouted behind his shoulder while giggling.

After they managed to get as far as possible from that scene Changbin started to wonder what his boyfriend had in mind.

“Where are you taking me Lix?”

“You’ll see.”

Felix dragged Changbin through the Castle stairs, going through many corridors until they arrived at the Clock Tower Courtyard. Changbin looked at Felix with questioning eyes. The Gryffindor stopped in the middle of the yard and turned to face Changbin.

“Thought we could use some time for ourselves.” Felix said and then murmured a spell that conjured a violin from thin air that started playing a faint classical song. Felix then took Changbin’s hands, placing them on his waist and wrapped his arms around Changbin’s neck. They started swinging side to side in a slow dance.

Felix rested his forehead against Changbin’s forehead, inhaling the other’s scent. They were just quietly swaying across the yard, basking on the feeling of being so close together. Changbin sighed as he looked at his boyfriend’s face, admiring his beautiful features. He was so fucking lucky.

The song slowly came to an end but they continued dancing, lost in each other’s eyes. Changbin tilted his head up, placing a soft peck on Felix’s nose.

“I love you Lix.”

“I love you too Binnie.”

Felix crouched down a bit to rest his head on Changbin’s shoulder, his arms were now hugging the smaller boy’s waist.They stayed like that for a while, just feeling the night’s breeze and enjoying each other’s warmth.

“I’m so grateful to have you in my life Lix. You have no idea how happy you make me feel. Thank you.” Changbin whispered against the youngers neck.

“You don’t need to thank me Binnie, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I’ll always be here for you.”

They stayed like that, hugging each other and quietly swaying, until their legs became too numb to support themselves and Felix started yawning. Changbin then offered Felix a piggyback ride back to his Common room that the boy accepted with a delighted giggle. When they arrived Changbin gave his boyfriend a goodnight kiss before going back to his own room with a light heart and a silly smile on his face.

・・✦・・

Changbin was sitting on the Slytherin table talking with Minho who was seated in front of him. They were having breakfast and Changbin was lazily munching on a banana bread when he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around his waist and soft lips leaving a kiss on his left cheek.

“Good morning Lix.” Changbin greeted his boyfriend with a smile.

“Hey Bin. Minho hyung.” Felix said while sitting next to Changbin and starting to pour himself some coffee.

Minho gave Felix a small smile and continued talking about the fight he had unintentionally started yesterday during the party after they had left. Felix leaned his head on Changbin’s shoulder as he munched on his bread, listening to Minho’s story. Apparently the older had accidentally spilled all of his drink on Lee Donghyuck’s shirt and when the boy looked at him he blamed Mark Lee, Gryffindor’s catcher, for the accident. Both boys were known to be sworn enemies throughout Hogwarts, they were even worse than Changbin and Felix had been so you can already imagine the mess that went down after that.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a flock of owls entering the Great Hall. Changbin had forgotten today was mail day. He saw an owl approaching him as the animal dropped a wine colored letter in front of him. Changbin cocked his head to the side, he normally didn’t receive any mail except during holiday season. Weird.

“Hey Binnie what’s that?” Felix asked while pointing to the letter with his chin resting on Changbin’s shoulder.

“Holy Shit Changbin that’s a howler.” Minho said with a horrified expression.

Changbin let out a gasp, fear overtook his features as he looked at Minho and then at Felix who was now staring at the letter nervously.

_Fuck. Fucking hell._ He had never received a howler before in his life. The most logical conclusion was that it was sent by his parents but why? What did he do that could have made them pissed enough to send him a howler? Changbin had no idea.

_Wait._

_Shit._

Did they find out about Felix? No, that couldn’t be possible. There was no way that would have happened, right? Right? Changbin gulped as he opened the howler with dread. The howler flew away from his hands and took the form of a mouth with extremely sharp teeth as it started to scream.

“Seo changbin! How dare you hide from us that you were dating a Gryffindor?! We were appalled to see that picture that you sent us! Do you realize the embarrassment that you’ve brought to our family name?! You have deceived and betrayed our trust! Me and your mother are extremely disappointed in you. You either end things with that boy immediately or consider yourself disowned! We do not want you associating with this kind of people.”

The letter then ripped itself apart and caught on fire in front of Changbin’s face, the ashes falling on the table.

Silence ran through the hall, no one dared to speak after the scene that had just happened. Changbin could only hear his blood rushing to his ears.

“They... didn’t know?” Felix said so quietly that Changbin almost didn’t catch it.

Changbin swallowed and slowly nodded, carefully watching his boyfriend’s reaction.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Felix’s voice brokenly asked.

“I-”

“Don’t you trust me? Are you embarrassed of me?” Felix said, his voice raising.

“No, of course not Lix. I love you, how could you say that?” Changbin desperately said.

“Then why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell your parents what my house was? Because you were ashamed of your little boyfriend who is a disgusting Gryffindor, right? I knew things were too good to be true.” Felix let out a pained laugh as his eyes started getting glossy.

“Felix you know that’s not it, please let me explain-” Changbin said reaching for his boyfriend.

Felix recoiled with a hiss.

“I don’t want to hear your stupid excuses Changbin.” Felix spat out.

“Felix please-”

“We’re over.” Felix was full on crying now as he harshly got up from the table and ran out of the Hall.

Changbin quickly got up and started chasing after the boy, ignoring all the stares and whispers.

“Lix! Wait!”

Felix got out of the Great Hall, running in the speed of light. Fuck fuck fuck. Changbin had to talk to him. He couldn’t lose him. Not now, not after everything they had been through. Changbin saw that Felix was heading outside and only managed to catch up to him when they got to the Wooden Bridge.

“Felix, please look at me.” Changbin begged.

“Why? Why should I when you are so embarrassed of me you couldn’t even trust me to tell me what was really going on? Why should I if I’m such an inferior? Apparently I’ve dirtied the name of your family so you shouldn’t even be talking to someone like me.” Felix spat out.

“Felix, I don’t care about what my parents said. I should have come clean a long time ago but I was scared. And I wanted to have their acceptance. But none of that matters anymore. I don’t care about their opinions, I only care about you and the fact I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Without any lies, only me and you Lix. They can disown me, I don’t care. As long as I have you by my side I’ll be ok. They won't control my life and who I love anymore.”

Felix was still crying but at least now he wasn’t looking like was about to bolt away anymore.

“I’m sorry for not telling them earlier and making you go through all of that, it was irresponsible and insensitive of me and I feel so bad knowing that I hurt you like that but please Lix know that I was never embarrassed of you. Never. I was just so afraid of losing you. I love you. And I won’t let you go, I won’t run away, not again.” Changbin finished with a hiccup.

Felix was quietly crying as he absorbed the words his boyfriend had just said. Changbin wanted nothing more but to wrap Felix in a hug but he wanted to give the boy some space to think. Felix let out a sigh as he looked up.

“I believe you Bin. I do. I was extremely hurt to hear those words, I really thought I had changed your parents, I thought I had made a difference. But it doesn’t matter, not anymore. We’ll figure this out yeah? Together.”

“We will Lix, as long as you’re by my side I’ll be ok.” Changbin sniffled.

“Don’t you get it Bin? I will always be here for you. Always.” Felix said with a wet laugh

Changbin then stepped forward, he hesitated for a second, wondering if he should touch the younger or just let him be. Felix raised his teary face to stare at his boyfriend and after a few heartbeats he threw himself on Changbin’s arms. Changbin hugged him tightly as he heard the other’s pained sobs.

Changbin clenched his fists. At that moment he made a promise to himself. He would never let his parents hurt his boyfriend ever again. He would do everything to keep the boy that he loved safe, he was not running away, not anymore.

・・✦・・

Later that afternoon Changbin sent a short letter to his parents arranging a talk on his Common room’s fireplace on the next day. He was going to finally set things straight. Felix was looking at him seated on a chair out of the fireplaces line of vision, wanting to be there for his boyfriend but also knowing that the boy had to do that by himself. Changbin’s stomach churned with anxiety as he waited. Suddenly the flames started moving as his parents faces appeared on the fire.

“Hello Mother. Father.”

“Son, I hope you’ve arranged this conversation to tell us that you’ve broken up with that boy.”

“He has a name and no, I haven’t broken up with Felix and I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon.”

Changbin heard his mother hiss.

“I am here to tell you both that I won’t let you control my life anymore. I love Felix and he makes me the happiest person alive. He’s good to me, he supports me and he also loves me unconditionally, something that not even you two were able to do. If you can’t accept that I guess you’ll have to go through with your threat.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Seo Changbin.”

“I actually do and while we’re on the topic of controlling, I never wanted to work on your hospital. I want to be a teacher here at Hogwarts and that’s what I’ll do.”

“You’ll be nothing without us.” His father scoffed.

“I know how to handle myself and I don’t need your opinions anymore, anything else?”

“We knew you were useless.” His mother said, venom dripping from her voice.

“I don’t really care. Is that all mother? Good. Goodbye then.” Changbin said as he threw water on the fireplace, extinguishing his parents faces.

Changbin didn’t even realise he was tearing up when he felt Felix embracing him and wiping his tears.

“You did so well Bin. I’m so proud of you.” Changbin let out a choked sob.

He still didn’t know what he was going to do but he would figure it out. As long as he had Felix by his side everything would be fine.

・・✦・・

Changbin hopped on the broom and Felix followed him, snuggling close to him from behind.

After that whole awful talk with his parents weirdly enough Changbin felt incredibly light. Them disowning him didn’t make him as sad as he thought he would be. He was actually relieved. Because now he was free to live his own life and make his on decisions. For the first time in his life he was finally free.

He and Felix had talked a lot and Changbin had come to the conclusion that he had more than enough to get by. Changbin had started giving out Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts tutoring sessions, managing to start gathering some more money. He had also talked Professor Do, who was Slytherin’s headteacher, about his situation and he would be allowed to live in Hogwarts until he graduated and he would also already start his training to become a teacher there.

Everything was working out. He was finally happy.

“Hold tight Lix.” Changbin said as he propelled his broom up and started flying. Felix had his arms wrapped tightly around Changbin’s waist, being careful not to fall.

As they went over the Black Lake, Felix let out awed exclamations at the beautiful view. They went so close to the water that Felix’s toes almost touched the surface. The boy laughed carefreely.

As Changbin flew around Felix snuggled closer to him. Changbin could feel the wind on his hair, today was quite chilly but Felix’s body kept him warm. The speed of the broom was exhilarating, he would never get over the feeling of flying.

After flying for a while Changbin finally lowered his broom when they got close to the boat house. The two boys hopped off the broom and went to sit next to the lake’s edge. Felix was swinging his legs while humming a song Changbin didn’t recognize.

“Do you remember what I told you about your wand? Long ago when we started the tutoring sessions.”

“Yeah, I do. You said the wand fitted me but you didn’t say why.”

Felix hummed.

“The Hawthorn wood wand normally chooses an owner with a conflicted nature, or wizard passing through a period of turmoil. The wand however only chooses wizards of proven talent, and after said wizard has finally defeated those complications the wand starts working even more perfectly than before, making the wizard extremely powerful.”

Changbin was a bit taken aback by the meaning that was somehow so fitting for him.

“When we met you were going through a lot of conflict but since the talk with your parents you’ve been doing spells with your wand way more naturally, have you noticed? How it seems like your wand has finally started responding to you?”

“It’s true… Oh Merlin, that’s actually insane.”

“The wands knows it all.” Felix chuckled.

They stayed quiet for a while just admiring the view when suddenly Felix made a noise like he had just thought about something. He then enchanted something and two beautiful purple flowers appeared on his hands.

“This is for you.” Felix while tucking said flower behind Changbin’s ear. “And this one's for me.” He said as he did the same with his flower.

“Thank you Lix.”

“You’re so pretty Binnie.”

Changbin flushed.

“You’re prettier though.”

Felix sighed fondly and placed his head on Changbin’s shoulder.

“I’m so glad I have you.” Changbin whispered quietly, not wanting to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere.

“Me too love, me too.” Felix whispered in return as he intertwined his hand with Changbin’s.

They stayed like that for a long time, just snuggled up together while watching the sunset at the edge of the lake. It was already getting dark but they didn’t want to part yet. Felix was staring at the stars while telling Changbin curiosities about the constellations.

Happiness filled Changbin’s insides as he stared at the face of the boy next to him. His boyfriend looked the cutest like this, when he was talking about something he loved, without any care in the world. Changbin honestly didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky but he had decided to stop questioning himself a long time ago. After all, fate did work in mysterious ways. And it seemed that it had always been on Changbin’s side, he just hadn’t known that yet.

Changbin chuckled and Felix turned his head to stare at him funnily.

”What?”

“Remember what I told you on our first anniversary? About your freckles?”

Felix flushed pink.

”No I don’t think I do... Why don’t you remind me?”

”I think it would be better if I showed you.” Changbin said as he placed his hands on Felix’s cheeks. He then leaned forward and started leaving butterfly kisses on Felix’s freckles as the boy giggled, the kisses tickling his face.

”Aish Binnie, I get it you love my freckles.” Felix said while panting, his hands holding his stomach from giggling so much.

”Actually I think I just love you Lix.”

Felix blushed.

“That’s good because I love you too silly.”

Changbin grinned as he kissed his boyfriend’s cheek.

”It’s getting late Lix, let’s go back?”

Felix nodded and followed Changbin to where his boyfriend had left his broom. They hopped on it again and started flying their way back to the castle. As Changbin stared at the beautiful lights of Hogwarts his heart filled with warmth. _He was home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic was a big challenge for me and i'm not sure if it was any good, but i hope you enjoyed reading it anyways!
> 
> hmu on [twitter](https://twitter.com/komorebinnie), let's be moots!


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